Tag Archives: Ghee @en

Ghee is clarified butter is a native of the Indian subcontinent and is important for Indian cuisine and Middle East (Levant region and Egypt).
The ghee is prepared by simmering unsalted butter in a large pot until all water has evaporated and that the proteins have settled at the bottom. Clarified butter is then removed with a spoon to avoid remixing the solid particles with clarified butter. Unlike butter, ghee can be stored for long periods without refrigeration as long as it is stored in an airtight container to prevent oxidation and mold. The texture, color and taste of ghee depends on the origin of the milk from which butter was obtained and the duration of the boil. In India, ghee is usually obtained from the milk of water buffalo.

The word ghee comes from Sanskrit. It has a sacred role in libations and anointings in the Vedic and Hindu religions (see Yajur-Veda). There is also a hymn to ghee. The ghee is burnt in the arati ritual of the Hindu religion and is the primary fuel in decorative lamps called diya. It is used in weddings, burials.

The ghee, mixed with four other substances (sugar, milk, Dahi and honey) is called Panchamrut. The Panchamrut is sacrificed with the rituals dedicated to Shiva and Maha Shivaratri. According to the Mahābhārata, the ghee is the root of sacrifice by Bhishma. It is thus used in large quantities in the Yajna and is considered food for Devas (God).

Ayurvedic medicine attributes many properties Caregivers in ghee, both physically and mentally. The main ones are:

– Absorption: The ghee is an essential element formulations Ayurveda herbal. As ghee is an oil, it can bind with fat soluble nutrients and herbs to penetrate the cell plasma membrane of the body. It may be added that increases the potential of certain herbs by carrying the active components within the cells where they have maximum effect.

-Digestion: The Ayurvedic texts say that ghee aids to reduce excess stomach acid and helps to restore or maintain the mucus in the stomach.

-Light Burns: Like aloe, ghee helps prevent the blisters and lesions if applied quickly on the skin. The ghee stored long have superior medicinal properties.

However, these claims are based on scientific evidence. The ghee is a food consisting mainly of fat, the excess of which is known to increase the risk of coronary heart disease.

The ghee is used widely in Indian cooking. In Sadya (banquet), the parippu is eaten with ghee. In several parts of India, especially in Bengal and Orissa, rice is always served with ghee (Biryani). The ghee is also an ingredient used in preparing the Kadhi. Punjabi cuisine prepared in restaurants use large quantities of ghee. The Masala is made of a large amount of spice and ghee. The naan and roti are covered by brush ghee during preparation or during the service. The ghee is finally used in Indian pastries with Mysore pak and different varieties of halva and laddu.

Like all clarified butters, the ghee is composed entirely of saturated fatty acid. It has been shown that the ghee reduces cholesterol in the blood in a study on rongeurs5. Studies on brown rats revealed one mechanism by which ghee reduces bad cholesterol.

Sanwin Makin – semolina cake

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Ingredients :

  • 1 cup of semolina
  • 3 cups of coconut cream
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 125 g of ghee or butter
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom
  • 3 eggs, yolks and whites separated
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons of sesame seeds

Preparation :
Put the semolina in a large pot and slowly add the coconut cream, stirring to avoid lumps.

Add sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat and stir constantly. When the mixture begins to thicken, gradually add the ghee or butter.

Cook until the mixture becomes very thick and pulls away from
sides of the pan. Add salt, cardamom and mix.

Stir in egg yolks one by one, then beat the eggs whites
until stiff and fold gently with a wooden spatula.

Pour mixture into cake pan 20 cm wide, then equalizing the surface.

In a small dry saucepan, fry the sesame seeds on medium heat. Stir constantly, once browned sprinkle the cake.

Bake 45 minutes at 160 ° C, until the cake is puffed and golden. Let cool in pan, then cut into large rectangles or diamonds.

Serve as a snack or dessert.

Murtabak – martabak – pancake stuffed

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Ingredients :

  • 2 tablespoons of ghee
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup of flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1 glass 1/2 water

Garnish :

  • 600 g of mutton chopped
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
  • 8 diced onions
  • 20 cardamoms seeded
  • 2 tablespoons of toasted coriander seeds
  • 1 tablespoon of anise

Preparation :

Fry the turmeric with a little oil and set aside. Cook the lamb and diced onions over low heat and add cardamom, coriander, anise and salt. Reserve.
Mix flour and baking powder in a bowl with a glass and a half of water. Knead into a smooth paste, cover the bowl and let dough rest for the night.

Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Spread it thinly on an oiled marble or a cutting board glass, then add the ghee. Fold and shape into balls then cover the dough with a damp cloth. Let stand 1/2 hour.

Flatten finely the dough into rectangle, place the garnish evenly in the center of the dough, brush over lightly beaten egg over the meat. Wrap the dough over the meat to form a square. Fry in oil until brown on both sides. Serve hot.

Tips : It is often eaten with the curry sauce.

Anecdotes : The Murtabak comes from India, and its trace back to the Sultanate of Delhi (1206-1526). Accompanying the traders, the murtabak aired in many Asian countries of south-west, and remained a popular dish in many of these regions. In Malaysia, it is nicknamed “Mamak” by malaysians. In Indonesia, especially Jakarta, it is called “Martabak”. It comes in two versions, savory and sweet dish. This dish is also eaten in Saudi Arabia and Yemen where it is called “Mutabbaq”.

Gajar ko Halwa – Carrot Pudding

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Ingredients :

  • 2 kg of carrots
  • 3 cups of whole milk
  • 2 cups of sugar
  • 3 tablespoons of ghee
  • ½  teaspoon of ground cardamom (elaichi)
  • saffron

Preparation :

Grate the carrots.
Place the whole milk, sugar and carrots in a saucepan.
Boil until thickened, stirring constantly once mixture thickens.
Add ghee, cardamom and saffron until it oozes.
Serve hot, garnished with a chopped almond or pistachio.

Astuces : You can eat it with a little yogurt.

Moorgi kosha – Chicken Curry Bengal

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Ingredients :

  • 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
  • 1 red onion minced
  • Salt
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 tablespoons of water
  • 1 tablespoon of turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground paprika
  • 2 tablespoons of ground ginger
  • 2 large cloves garlic minced
  • 1 kg of chicken breast, diced
  • 1 tomato, thinly sliced ​​
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • 3 pods cardamoms coarsely ground
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon of ghee
  • 1 tablespoon of ground coriander
  • 1 large bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped

Preparation :

Heat oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Add 1/3 of the onion and cook until browned, add salt. Remove from heat and let rest on paper towels and set aside.

Add bay leaf and remaining onion in a saucepan, add salt and cook until onion is golden and crisp. Add turmeric, chilli powder, paprika, ginger, garlic and water, mix well and simmer.

Add chicken pieces and tomato slices, salt and add sugar, stir. Add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, ghee and 1 tablespoon of water. cover and simmer over low heat for 30-35 minutes until there was no more water.

Remove the cover. If water remains in the pan, increase heat to medium. Add the ground coriander and cook until all liquid has evaporated, you can keep a little broth for the sauce if you like.

Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with chopped cilantro and onion rings previously set aside.

Serve with naan or basmati rice.

Kesari – semolina cake

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Ingredients :

  • 1 cup semolina average *
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup ghee
  • 2 cup water
  • 10 green cardamom capsules
  • 6 saffron threads soaked in 2 tablespoons of lukewarm milk
  • A pinch of salt
  • Sliced ​​almonds for decoration or pistachios, cashews, coconut

* Attention to the meal you choose : semolina indicated in this recipe is not couscous semolina ! It is much finer (almost powder) and special desserts.
Preparation :

Put 2 tablespoons of sugar in a mortar with the cardamom, finely grind and remove the capsule which come loose.

In a kettle, boil water and keep warm.
In a saucepan, heat ghee and add the semolina and fry over low heat.

Pour the water slowly, stirring with a wooden spoon, stir in the saffron, sugar, cardamom and a pinch of salt, stir and remove from heat as soon as the semolina comes off the pan.

Pour into buttered baking square or round in ghee, spread over 1 to 1.5 cm and smooth top and place in the fridge.Pour into square or round mold previously buttered with ghee, spread over 1 to 1.5 cm and smooth top and and then put in the fridge for 20 minutes. Cut into squares or diamond shapes, decorate with coconut and almonds (or other).

Tips : We can flavor it with different flavors such as rose water or spices: turmeric … You can add dry grapes or even put a touch of color by adding a touch of food coloring.

Anecdote : The Kesari comes from the word Keshar, “saffron flower” in Sanskrit, then became Keshari. This is a dessert popular in southern India and Srilanka

Sabzi Pilau – rice with vegetables

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Ingredients :

  • 2 tablespoons of ghee
  • 2 tablespoons of oil
  • 2 medium onions chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 2 cups of long grain rice
  • 4 cups of hot water
  • 2 teaspoons of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of garam masala
  • 2 carrots cut into julienne
  • 12 green beans cut into julienne
  • ½ cup of red or green pepper diced
  • 1 small potato peeled and diced
  • 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen peas
  • almonds and dry grapes

Preparation :
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker and brown the onion and garlic over low heat, then add rice and fry for 2 minutes over medium heat.

Pour hot water, salt and garam masala and bring to boil. Cover and cook 10 minutes over low heat.

Add vegetables in the pressure cooker and add salt and cook 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender but not overcooked.

Remove cover and let stand a few minutes. Mix vegetables and rice, garnish with the fries almonds in butter and a dry grapes.

Serve with curries.

Rice with ghee

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Ingredients :

  • 2 cups of basmati rice or other long grain rice
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons of ghee
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 4 cloves
  • 6 capsules of cardamom crushed
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 1/2 cups of broth beef, chicken or lamb
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt

Preparation :

Wash rice until water runs clear then drain and set aside.

Heat ghee in a pan and fry the onion and add the rice and spices, saute 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring.

Add broth and bring to a boil, cover and cook 20 minutes over low heat.
Remove the cloves, cinnamon and cardamom.

Serve hot with meat curry, vegetables or vegetables preserved in vinegar andsambals.

Anecdotes : In Malaysia, rice to ghee is served during the festivities of Kenduri. Today, we prefer the tomato rice due to a lighter taste. In India, it is called nei saadam (in Tamil) because it is seasoned with fried ingredients with the nei (ghee).

Kitchri – kitchuri – rice with lentils

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Ingredients :

  • 1 cup of long grain basmati rice
  • 1 cup of red lentils
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons of ghee
  •  2 medium onions, chopped
  • 5 cups of hot water
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of garam masala

Preparation :

Wash the rice and drain.

Wash lentils and remove those that float, then drain. Heat ghee in a pan, and cook the onion brown. Reserve half.

Add the rice and lentils in the pan and fry for 3 minutes stirring constantly.
Add hot water, salt and garam masala and bring to boil.

Cover and cook over very low heat for 20 minutes, until rice and lentils are cooked. Leave covered and do not mix during cooking.

Serve hot, garnished with onions that have been reserved.

Tips : If you want a  kitchri  put only 3 ½ cups of water. We can also replace the garam masala with other spices like cinnamon sticks, some cloves, cardamom seed and pepper. It appears on the breakfast tables, with smoked fish crumbled and hard-boiled eggs added.

Mattar Pilau – Rice with peas

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Ingredients :

  • 1 tablespoon of ghee or oil
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 small cinnamon stick
  • 2 capsules of cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
  • 1 1/4 cup of long grain rice
  • 1 1/4 cup of peas
  • 2 teaspoons of salt
  • 2 1/2 cups of hot water

Preparation :

Heat ghee in a pan and fry the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and cumin.

After one minute, add turmeric and rice, and cook, stirring. Add peas, salt andwater and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and cook 25 minutes over low heat.

Remove lid, stir gently with a fork and remove the cloves, cinnamon stick andcardamom capsules.

Serve hot.

Namkin chawal – Indian white rice

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Ingredients :

  • 1 1/4 cup of long grain basmati rice
  • 2 teaspoons of ghee
  • 2 1/2 cups of hot water
  • 1 teaspoon of salt

Preparation :

Wash rice until water runs clear and drain with a colander.

Heat ghee in a pan, add rice and cook 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add hot water and salt, mix and bring to a boil quickly.

Cover and cook over very low heat for 20 minutes,  without discovering and do not mix. Remove the lid and allow steam to escape, separate grains with a fork. They should be well separated and well-cooked.

Serve with curries or other spicy dishes.

Chapatis – Indian bread

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Ingredients :
For 20 or 24 chapatis:

  • 3 cups of whole wheat flour or flour to roti
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 tablespoon of ghee or oil
  • 1 cup of lukewarm water

Preparation :
Reserve about 1/2 cup of flour for rolling chapatis.

Pour the remaining flour in a large bowl, add salt and oil or ghee. Pour all the water at once, mix and knead 10 minutes until dough is firm enough (more kneaded, the more light will chapatis).

Roll into a ball and cover with a cloth and let stand 1 hour. If the dough restovernight, the chapatis will be very light and crispy.

Divide dough in making the balls the size of a large walnut, flatten each ball on floured plate, giving it a circular shape as thin as a pancake.

Heat a crepe pan or heavy skillet and cook the chapatis.

Place the chapati on the skillet and cook about 1 minute, cook the other side for 1 minute by gently pressing the edges with a spatula, this promotes the formation of air bubbles and make inflate the chapati. Once they are cooked, wrap in a clean cloth to keep warm.

Serve with butter, dry curries or vegetable dishes.

In India the  pieces of chapati are rolled into cones to be used as a spoon to eat the dhal sauce.

Tips : In India, chapatis are cooked on the tawa (iron plate) and it holds any moment directly over the fire, causing them to swell up like balloons. This little get on the gas flame, holding it with pliers.

Anecdote : In 1857, the British watched a strange practice that some believe could be the signal for the outbreak of the Indian Mutiny. A chain was formed, perhaps from Kampur, as follows: each village guard, called chaukidar, preparing chapati ten of which he gave a pair to another chaukidar, reaching five villages, all villages in the valley Ganges and being joined in ten days. Some think that this is the method used to transmit the signal for insurrection. However, all historians do not agree with this interpretation, and for them the chain then keeps all its mystery, and is perhaps originated in a magic act, religious or otherwise which has not yet been discovered.