Eggs & dairy · Butter

Ghee

Butter simmered until the water evaporates and milk solids toast and are strained off; nutty, golden cooking fat.

Also called: clarified butter, samna, desi ghee, butter oil

A kind of butter

Photo: Rainer Z ..., via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

What it is

Ghee is clarified butter cooked a little further, so the milk solids brown lightly before they are strained out, giving a nutty aroma. It is golden and liquid when warm, and grainy and soft-solid when cool. Unlike plain clarified butter it has a toasted flavour; Middle Eastern samna is similar. Without water or milk solids it can be heated much hotter than butter.

How it’s used

Tempering (tadka) whole spices for dals
Frying onions and spices for curries and biryani
Drizzled over rice, khichdi and rotis
Indian sweets such as halwa and laddoo
Middle Eastern rice and pastries (as samna)

Characteristics

Taste: Rich, nutty and caramel-like.
Aroma: Toasty, buttery and sweet.
Texture: Liquid when warm; soft and slightly granular when set.
When cooked: Smoke point well above butter, so spices can sizzle and onions brown without burning milk solids. It solidifies at cool room temperature.
Sold as: fresh, liquid
Cooking uses: Commonly cooked, Suitable for frying, Used for tempering (tadka), Suitable for baking
Common in: Indian, Punjabi, Pakistani, Nepalese, Bangladeshi, Middle Eastern, Ethiopian, Gulf Arab

Kinds in our pantry

Niter kibbeh (Ethiopian spiced butter)

Storage

Pantry-stable. Keeps in a sealed jar in a cool cupboard for months because it holds almost no water; use a dry spoon. Refrigerate in hot climates or for very long storage.

Diet, allergens and safety

Contains Milk.

Vegetarian
Vegan
Dairy-free
Egg-free
Gluten-free
Nut-free
Soy-free
Caffeine-free

Made from milk; most milk protein is removed but traces remain, so treat as a milk allergen.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy: 876 kcal
Protein: 0.28 g
Carbohydrate: 0 g
Fat: 99.48 g
Fibre: 0 g
Sugars: 0 g

USDA FoodData Central: Butter oil, anhydrous.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

Unsalted butter — Melt and skim, or use with a splash of oil to stop it burning; the flavour is less nutty.
Neutral vegetable oil — For tempering and frying; lacks richness.