Ghee...Ayurveda's magical cure

Ghee is used extensively in Ayurveda in and on the body to treat a variety of disorders. Ghee is clarified butter. It is considered to be "sattvic" or pure and is a digestive aid. When unsalted butter is heated, it clairifies, or separates into components:

lactose or sugar

milk protein

fat

The heat makes the moisture evaporate, the sugar and protein separate into the white curds that float or sink to the bottom. The leftover is pure sweet nutty and yummy ghee. If you find that your digestion is slow, take a teaspoon of ghee in warm milk before bedtime. Use ghee in place of butter. Cook with it and drizzle over your steamed veggies.

RECIPE

• 1 pound of unsalted organic butter

Place the butter in a heavy, medium-sized pan. Turn the heat to medium until the butter melts.

Turn down the heat until the butter just boils and continue to cook at this heat. Do not cover the pot. The butter will foam and sputter while it cooks. Whitish curds will begin to form on the bottom and top of the pot.

The butter will begin to smell like popcorn after a while and turn a lovely golden color. Keep a close watch on the ghee, as it can easily burn. After a while it will become a clear, golden color. You will have to take a clean, dry spoon to move away some of the foam on top in order to see if the ghee is clear all the way through to the bottom.

When it is clear and has stopped sputtering and making noise, remove from heat. Let it cool until just warm. Pour it through a fine sieve or layers of cheesecloth into a clean, dry glass container with a tight lid. Discard the curds at the bottom of the saucepan.

The ghee is burned if it has a nutty smell and is slightly brown.

1 pound of butter takes about 15 minutes of cooking time. The more butter you are using, the more time it will take.

The medicinal properties are said to improve with age. In fact, ghee that is over ten years old is considered a cure for all disease. Don’t ladle out the ghee with a wet spoon or allow any water to get into the container, as this will create conditions for bacteria to grow and spoil the ghee. Make sure the ghee is completely cooled before you put the lid on.

Two pounds of butter will fill a quart jar with ghee. Store ghee away from sunshine and moisture and it will keep for up to 12 months without refridgeration.