Ghee

Extensively used as a cooking medium in Indian dishes, ghee is currently being blamed by cardiologists for the high incidence of heart disease in the Indian community in Britain. It is basically a type of clarified butter, that is butter from which all the milk solids have been removed, so increasing the temperature at which it burns. Ghee differs from plain clarified butter in that the strained product is cooked on at a low steady heat to drive off moisture, concentrate it and develop flavour.

If the thought does not give you palpitations, it is easy to make at home. Put 500 g / 1 lb unsalted butter in a pan over a low heat. As it melts, it will start to throw a scum which you skim off as it rises to the surface. After about 10 minutes, brown particles will form and also rise to be removed (a tea strainer is a good thing with which to do this). Pour the remaining clear liquid through muslin or a clean J-cloth into a bowl. Clarified butter keeps for months in the fridge.