Active Time

　　15 minutes

　　Total Time

　　15 minutes

　　South Indians don't use ghee in cooking the way North Indians do, much preferring their coconut oil. But they always have a spoonful with their parboiled rice and dhal. The first step of a Sadhya is mixing ghee, rice, dhal, crushed pappadam, and a little salt. This mixture is eaten by hand and forms the first bites of the Sadhya. This recipe is part of our menu for Sadhya, a South Indian feast.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 1/2 cup

　　1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

　　

Step 1

Line a sieve with 3 layers of cheesecloth and set over a jar.

　　

Step 2

Bring butter to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Once foam completely covers butter, reduce heat to very low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until a thin crust begins to form on surface and milky white solids fall to bottom of pan, about 8 minutes. Continue to cook butter, watching closely and stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until milk solids on bottom of pan are light brown and liquid is golden, translucent, and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and strain through cheesecloth-lined sieve into jar.

　　Cooks' Notes:

　　•Ghee keeps, chilled, 6 months.