If there is one thing that Ayurvedic cuisine cannot do without, it is clearly ghee! The clarified butter has great advantages over other fats and can be used not only for frying and deep-frying, but also for all health purposes. But: What exactly is it? Everything about the use, whether the pure fat is healthy or unhealthy and much more you will learn here. Of course, we also have a recipe for you, with which you can make it yourself.
What actually is ghee butter?
This means nothing other than clarified butter. Clarified butter has almost 100 percent fat content, a rich yellow color and a somewhat firmer consistency. The odor is more intense than that of unclarified butter. During production, the water content evaporates completely and animal protein and lactose settle out. But wait - pure fat? Can that be healthy?
Is ghee healthy or unhealthy?
In fact, ghee is the healthiest of all the types of fat we can use in everyday life. This is because the end result of the manufacturing process contains 70 percent saturated fatty acids. Contrary to the long-held belief that saturated fatty acids are unhealthy, we now know that the exact opposite is true.
It is healthy because it contains vitamins D, E, and A. However, we must say that you would have to eat a decent amount to cover the full daily requirement. The quality of the butter also plays a big role.
Is ghee vegan?
Make clarified butter without butter - that's where even Ayurvedic cuisine reaches its limits. According to traditional recipe that is therefore not vegan, because it is necessarily derived from animal fat. However, vegan ghee is now available in more and more health food stores. Alternatively, you can use high-quality coconut fat instead - the vegan Ayurvedic cuisine likes to help itself with alternatives of this kind.
Effect and possibilities for application
In Ayurveda, the clarified butter is very appreciated, and for good reason! Because the golden yellow fat you can use wonderfully for various purposes, whether for cooking, as a medicinal measure or for the Skin care.
Ghee as clarified butter for cooking
One of the main reasons it's so perfect for cooking is that, unlike other fats, you can easily heat it up.
The fatty acids remain stable up to temperatures of 180°C, so you can use them to sear meat, fish or vegetables. No dangerous trans fatty acids are formed, which can cause cardiovascular diseases, among other things.
In addition, it is easy to digest and gives your food a pleasant, mild buttery taste. This is exactly why clarified butter is also good for baking.
However, the clarified butter is still pure fat, so you should not overdo it - just as Ayurveda teaches for every area of life anyway.
For health
When you cook like this, not least your digestive fire, the Agni, is happy about it. It is promoted by the Ayurvedic clarified butter, and also helps, for example, after gastrointestinal inflammation in the regeneration of the stomach.
Overall, ghee has a detoxifying effect and detoxifies the body, as it binds and eliminates toxins in the body. There is even medicinal ghee: Here, the butter is mixed with medicinal herbs and simmered for up to 4 days. The herbs are said to be able to act even more intensively as a result. By the way, it is said that it can even lower cholesterol levels.
By the way: You can even use the fat against dry eyes. Simply heat 2-3 tablespoons of it in a water bath and use a thermometer to make sure that the temperature does not exceed 33 °C. Bathe your eyes twice a week for 10 minutes in the liquid ghee and the annoying itching and scratching should soon be a thing of the past.
For skin and face care
Whether internal or external inflammation: You can do a lot with ghee. The anti-inflammatory effect of clarified butter helps, for example, to prevent scars and blistering or to reduce redness. You can also use clarified butter for the care of psoriasis.
Ghee can also be used in the normal care routine, for example, the fat is well suited for removing makeup in the evening. And for a little wellness before bedtime can be provided with ghee. Massage the soles of your feet with it. This should ensure a better sleep. You can find more massage oils in our online store.
In the morning, you can try oil pulling. Put some ghee in your mouth and swish it through your teeth for 20 minutes. It is very important that you spit out the ghee immediately afterwards and brush your teeth with a separate toothbrush. This is because the fat removes toxins from your mouth and throat, which you should logically not swallow again. Oil pulling prevents tooth decay and inflammation. In Ayurvedic hygiene, the use of mouth care oil is particularly recommended.
Advantages of Indian cooking fat for the kitchen
In principle, the advantages can be summarised in three main points:
- Ghee can be heated to a high temperature: While liquid butter or other oils burn protein when heated strongly, this does not happen with hot ghee. Even at well over 100 degrees, the fatty acids remain intact and do not oxidise. This prevents the formation of free radicals, which are generally considered unhealthy.
- Ghee lasts a very long time: while butter eventually goes rancid, ghee can even be kept unrefrigerated for weeks.
- Lactose intolerance? No problem with ghee: the lactose content in ghee is so low that it can be consumed by lactose-intolerant people.
Can I use this as a medicine?
The Ayurvedic purification therapy Pancha-Karma proceeds in two phases: First, there is a so-called pre-cure and then the main cure. During the preliminary cure, slags and toxins are dissolved - the agent for this is the butter-pure fat ghee. After this preliminary cure, the first complaints may subside, and lightness and joie de vivre return. This shows that ghee does have an effect, because it binds toxins and the body can successfully eliminate them. This is good for the digestive tract, because especially in the stomach ghee has a regenerating effect.
Where can I get ghee butter?
You have become curious and would like to test it now yourself, what it is actually about ghee? Then you now have two options: You can buy it or invest a little time to make it yourself.
Where can I buy ghee?
Making high-quality ghee takes time. If your schedule is already full enough or you do not quite dare to start the production process, you can quickly and easily buy the ready-made ghee in many health food stores. Also in our Sonnhof store you can get our original Ayurveda Ghee from controlled organic farming.
Do it yourself: the recipe
It's not that difficult to make your own ghee. For this you need:
- Organic pasture butter / sweet cream butter
- A wide pot, ideally made of stainless steel
- A sterile canning jar with a swing stopper or a screw jar
- A cotton cloth or alternatively coffee filter
Another important ingredient: patience! You should allow at least one hour for making ghee and not be distracted during this time. When making ghee, simply follow these step-by-step instructions and everything will work:
- Cut the butter into pieces and add it to the pot. It is important that it is not too high in the potwhen it is liquid.
- Let the butter melt over a low heat without browning.
- Increase the heat briefly until the butter comes to the boil.
- Reduce the heat again and let the butter simmer for about 30-40 minutes. Depending on the amount of butter, it may take longer - patience is needed here, just don't rush it!
- Keep skimming off the egg white foam that forms on the surface. The ghee is ready when there is no more foam and the fat has a clear colour.
- Take the pot off the cooker and let the ghee cool for a few seconds. Meanwhile, place the cotton cloth over the opening of your preserving jar.
- Pour the ghee through the cloth into the glass. Alternatively, use a coffee filter for straining.
- Close the jar well. If you have a screw-top jar, you can turn it upside down briefly. This creates a vacuum, which makes the ghee last even longer.
You do not need to store the finished ghee in a jar in the refrigerator, just avoid direct sunlight. Be sure to stay on the cooker the whole time the fat is simmering so that you can take the pot off the cooker immediately if something burns. Do not stir the butter.
As you can see, making your own ghee is not magic. Maybe you need one or two attempts until you are absolutely satisfied with the result, but practice makes perfect. And then all that remains is to try out all the positive effects on your own body - you certainly won't regret it!
Ghee use: Possible in every recipe!
Whenever a recipe says something about frying, roasting and baking, you can also use ghee instead of the different types of oil or butter. Just try it out to see if and when it tastes good.
Also in the ayurvedic breakfast clarified butter is used and can be well integrated. Simply stir a tablespoon into the oatmeal, this can especially Vata types a high-energy start to the day. For those who like to have a light breakfast with fruit: It can be pan-fried, so it is easier to digest. Good luck!
Cover photo: © colnihko - stock.adobe.com
