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Kitchen Medicine
My Mom's Method

Homemade Ghee

Passed down, and still the best
✦

Growing up, any time we had rice there was a spoon of ghee stirred in. Roti got a brush of ghee before it hit the plate. It was just part of my diet. It wasn't until I studied Ayurveda that I understood why. Ghee is such a powerful substance, a prabhava as we call it, because its effects go beyond what its qualities alone can explain.

Ingredients

  • ✦1 lb organic, grass-fed, unsalted butter
Yield  1 lb of butter makes roughly 1¼ to 1½ cups of ghee.
✦ Note  Times will vary depending on your stove and pan, this is why watching for the visual and sound cues matters more than a timer.

Instructions

  1. 1Place butter in a heavy bottomed pan over medium low heat.
    Butter melting in a pan
  2. 2Let it melt completely, then let it start bubbling. Don't stir.
    Melted butter bubbling in a pan
  3. 3Leave it undisturbed, giving it an occasional swish to check on it.
  4. 4Watch closely as it cooks. The bubbling will slow down, and the sound will quiet.
  5. 5If there's foam on top, gently blow on it to part it so you can see through to the bottom of the pan.
    Foam on top of the ghee being parted to check underneath
  6. 6You'll know it's ready when you can see straight to the bottom, the milk solids have settled there, and the color turns clear golden.
    Finished ghee, clear golden with milk solids settled at the bottom
  7. 7Let it cool down to a warm temperature, then strain through a tea strainer into a clean, dry glass or stainless steel jar.
    Finished ghee strained into a clean glass jar

Tips

  • ✦Keep the heat medium to low the entire time, this is what protects it from burning
  • ✦Don't walk away, ghee can go from perfect to burnt in under a minute
  • ✦Store at room temperature in a sealed jar, no refrigeration needed

Why We Love It

  • ✦It is tridoshic, balances pitta and vata, and in moderation, kapha
  • ✦Carries nutrients deep into your tissues, so your body absorbs more from your food
  • ✦Builds ojas, your body's reserve of vitality and immunity
  • ✦Supports memory and mental clarity
  • ✦Kindles digestion without the heaviness of other fats
  • ✦Nourishes and supports your gut lining
  • ✦Considered rejuvenating with regular use
  • ✦It's a yogavahi, a catalytic agent that carries the medicinal properties of herbs into all the tissues of the body

Things to Keep in Mind

  • ✦Use in moderation if you have high cholesterol or a heart condition, and check with your doctor first
  • ✦Reduce or avoid if you're in a heavy kapha imbalance, since excess can add to sluggishness
  • ✦While the milk solids are mostly removed, trace amounts may remain, so those with a dairy allergy should check with a doctor before trying

🌕 Best Time to Make Ghee

The best time to make ghee is the evening of a full moon because it is thought to increase the healing power of the ghee.

In Ayurveda, the full moon is when soma, the moon's cool, nourishing energy, is at its peak, and it's closely tied to ojas, your body's deep vitality and immunity. Making ghee during a full moon evening is thought to let that lunar energy infuse into the ghee, making it that much more beneficial to the body.

Many traditions also chant mantras and set intentions while making it, for the same reason.

✦ Want to know how this fits your dosha?  Head to my profile to learn more. ✦

Made with love for your gut health