Weed Butter

“Though butter is an obvious choice for serving at the table and for baking, it cannot be used on the stove for most sauteing or frying. This is because it is composed of about 80 percent pure butterfat, 18 percent water and 2 percent protein solids, and above 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) the solids begin to burn. Ghee is the better choice, for it is free of the solids. French clarified butter (which comes closer than butter to being an acceptable sauteing or frying medium) is made by melting unsalted butter and separating the clear yellow butterfat from the milky protein solids. Ghee is made by further simmering the melted butter until the protein solids harden and darken slightly. All the water evaporates, and the concentrated golden butterfat is carefully strained. Not only does the flavor intensify by this method, but the smoking point rises the nearly 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), at which frying and sauteing are fully possible.

Just as flavored butters lend character to the table, ghee is often simmered with curry leaves, fresh ginger root, turmeric, peppercorns or green chilis to add suggested flavors. … A six-month supply of homemade ghee takes very little effort and only a short time to make. For little more than the few minutes it takes to strain and bottle the ghee and label the containers, you can have a pure, golden green oil that will keep for up to two mnonths in a cool kitchen larder, up to four months if refrigerated, and six months or more when frozen.

 

–Yamuna Devi “Lord Krishna’s Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking”