Sunday, November 29, 2009

Making Probiotic Ghee

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This ghee is used in most of the recipes on this blog and it is the only
ghee used for H.H. Giriraja Swami. There are two types of ghee mentioned in the Ayurvedic texts. Ghee made from butter and ghee made from yogurt. Ghee made from butter increases fat, and ghee made from yogurt nourishes our tissues. That is, ghee from butter increases our cholesterol, and ghee made from yogurt decreases our cholesterol. Therefore, we only use this type of ghee in our cooking. Cooking with different oils is not recommended with the exception of olive oil. Olive oil is used with the medium of water, to protect the qualities of the oil, and preserve it from high heat.

How to make the ghee?

First, you will buy organic full fat cream. In America it is called heavy whipping cream. It is basically the full cream from milk. You will need one liter of heavy cream and 250 ml of yogurt. You will boil the cream, and let it cool until you can hold your finger in the cream for ten seconds. If you cannot hold your finger it will indicate that the cream is too hot. Once the cream is cool, you will add the yogurt and stir. Place your pot of cream in a warm area. Usually the oven is the best place. Make sure you cover the pot with the lid and turn on your oven light, and leave overnight. If you don't have an oven light, then wrap your pot in a few towels. Next day you will check your yogurt, and it should be quite thick.

 Place in the fridge for a few hours. Once your yogurt has cooled down, you will begin the blending process. You will need the following:
  • a food processor
  • ice water
  • a sieve
  • a few bowls for the next few stages.
Place two cups of yogurt in the food processor and run for quite sometime until you hear the changes of your yogurt. First, the yogurt becomes a very thick cream, and then it loosens up, and starts to become slushy, and at this stage you will have your butter. It is very similar to making whip cream, when you whip too long, you end up with butter. It is the same method, but you start with the yogurt made from the heavy cream.

You can watch the video to see more of this process. Once the yogurt has turned slushy, stop the food processor and empty the liquid part out into a bowl, and keep the butter in the food processor. Then will add one cup of ice water into the butter and mix for 1 min. Pour out the water again and add another cup of cold water, and repeat this process again. After the third time, take your butter and sqeeze as much water out, and place your butter into a pan for making the ghee.

 Place your butter in a pot to cook like regular ghee. This ghee does not take as long to cook as normal butter ghee. It takes less time. Cook the ghee on low flame, and know that it is done when all the milk solids on the bottom have turned brown, and there are only a few pieces of the milk solids floating on the top. Strain the ghee in a sieve with cloth. Pour into a glass jar or stainless steel container. Please discard of the milk solids.

The liquid from the butter is called 'Tarka' or buttermilk. You will find recipes for the buttermilk in this blog. Make sure to see the video on making the ghee.

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