Heat the butter on medium in a heavy-bottomed stainless steel saucepan (or a white-enameled Dutch oven works well). When the butter is fully melted, continue to cook until it starts to foam. As the foam forms on the top, skim it off. The best tool for the job is a skimmer, a shallow flat ladle with holes in it. (You can actually save the skimmed foam, refrigerate, and spread on your toast. It’s just like butter, but with less fat!).
After most of the foam is removed, continue to slow simmer the butter on low, watching it carefully. Resist the urge to increase the temperature and hurry the process -- be patient! Let time and heat do the work. If you need something to do, keep skimming the surface every so often. As the water is cooking off, the butter will go from cloudy to clear; the heavier milk solids begin separating, cooking, and sinking to the bottom of the pan.
The ghee is done when the oil is perfectly clear, beautifully golden yellow, and the solids at the bottom just begin to look granular and begin to lightly toast and turn a light brown color. It’s very important to take the pan off the heat before those solids get too dark. Think of a very lightly toasted marshmallow as opposed to letting it catch fire and blacken.
Next, remove the pan from the heat. Place several layers of cheesecloth in a wire mesh strainer set over a bowl. Pour the ghee into the cheesecloth to strain all the solids.
Two pounds of butter should yield about 24 oz. of ghee. Higher quality butter will give you more ghee per pound, because it will have fewer impurities. Allow the ghee to cool slightly, then pour into a clean jar. No need to refrigerate.
Enjoy this classic, flavorful Indian dish (which is now the new national dish of the U.K.) made with ghee.
