Instructions for making butter and ghee at home:

1. Pour milk into a container and keep it for boiling. I use cow's milk. After boiling, switch off the stove and allow it to cool. I keep it in the fridge, once it is warm.
2. Once cool, collect the cream, put it in a box and refrigerate it.
3. Also collect the cream from the curd, put it in the same box and refrigerate it.
4. Continue collecting the cream for 4 - 5 days. And on the day of churning keep it outside for 4 - 5 hours. Don't forget to add some curd, if you have not collected the cream from the curd.
5. Churn it and takeout the butter. You can churn it using mixie (use pulse mode and cold water) or a bottle or hand churner.
6. Take the butter in a thick bottomed large container.
7. Rinse the butter several times (My mother says 7 times) until you get the clean butter or until rinsed water is clear.
8. Drain the water completely.
9. Switch on the stove and keep it at medium flame. The butter will melt in no time and starts boiling with a thick, white foam at the surface. Make sure the container is large enough to avoid spilling. Optionally you can add pinch of salt or a pinch of turmeric or few methi seeds or few curry leaves or few Tulasi leaves or a beetel leaf.
10. As the bubbling increases, you’ll notice that the foam will become thinner. Keep stirring occasionally.
11. The bubbles will become bigger and clearer. Keep stirring occasionally.
12. Bubbles will get more translucent and the foam will eventually disappear.
13. Milk solids, which are now at the bottom, begin to brown. At this stage switch off the stove.
14. Wait for 10 minutes. Strain it into a dry glass jar. Discard the milk solids. Enjoy fresh homemade ghee.
15. Boil a cup of water in the container, strain it and add it to the sambar or rasam. By doing so, sambar will turn tasty and cleaning the vessel will be easy.

Notes:

1. Cleaning butter thoroughly is important to prepare good quality ghee
2. Fenugreek seeds or a pinch of sea salt or one betel leaf or some fresh curry leaves can be added to enhance the flavor.
3. You can use store bought unsalted butter too.
4. You need not throw away the leftover milk solids; instead mix in with salt, sugar, thin poha and enjoy. Or boil a cup of water, strain it and use it in sambar or rasam.
5. Keep checking and off the flame immediately, when the milk solids turn brown.
6. Adding betel leaves and curry leaves improve the shelf life and helps to get grainy texture.
7. Ghee will be very hot. So wait for 10 minutes and then transfer it into a glass jar.
8. Ghee can stay good for months, so no need to refrigerate it.

Dear reader, We have a Kannada version of this recipe. Click here to read this recipe in Kannada.