Ghee (Clarified Butter)

Ghee is a type of clarified butter that is prepared by simmering butter and removing the residue. The texture, color, and taste of ghee depend on the quality of the butter and the duration of the boiling. Ghee is widely used in Indian cuisine, especially goes well with steamed rice and can be dabbed on roti (and Naan as well). Mostly, all Indian sweets are prepared with ghee as their base. Although, ghee may sound high in saturated fats, it is still considered healthy and used as ingredient in most of the Ayurvedic medicines.

Ingredients

Organic Butter (unsalted) – 2 lbs

Preparation:

Add butter to the crock-pot and set it on low for 4 hours 30 mins. Make sure that the lid is partially covered to allow for moisture to be evaporated. After 4 hours 30 mins, turn off the crock-pot and allow the ghee to cool to arrive at room temperature. After the ghee is cooled, transfer to an airtight glass jar and store in room temperature. Optionally, ghee can also be stored in the freezer for longer shelf life. Just remove from the freezer and heat in microwave for about 30 seconds before serving, as you would melt normal butter.

Carrot Halwa

Carrot halwa is a classic indian dessert that goes for any celebrative occasion or season. It’s an evergreen indian dessert made all over india. Simple ingredients such as freshly grated carrots, milk, sugar and ghee make this recipe a great treat for all!

Ingredients:

      1)     Carrots – 2 lbs, grated

      2)     Condensed Milk - 1can (14oz)

      3)     Whole Milk - 1cup

      4)     Milk Mava powder – 2 cups 

               (or substitute with Ricotta cheese, 2 cups)

      5)     Sugar – 1 cup

      6)     Ghee (Clarified Butter) – 4 tbsp

      7)     Cashews – 2 tbsp, chopped

      8)     Raisins – 1 tbsp

      9)     Cardamom powder- ½ tsp

Preparation:

Add 1 tbsp ghee to an empty pot and grease well on the bottom and to the sides. Add grated carrots, condensed milk, whole milk, milk mava powder, 2 tbsp ghee & sugar to the 6 quarts crock-pot. Mix well and set on high for 5 hrs. After 3 hrs briefly stir the contents and continue to cook for 2 more hrs. If you still see moisture left in the crock-pot, remove the lid and cook it on high for another 30 minutes. Finally, fry cashews and raisins in the remaining amount of ghee (1 tbsp) in a separate pan and add to the cooked halwa and mix well. Serve hot or chilled, left in the refrigerator (not the freezer) for about 6 hours.