In praise of ghee, the golden-coloured superfood - The Globe and Mail

Nov 07, 2024

Growing up in a multigenerational South Asian household in the diaspora, a shelf-stable butter-derived cooking fat commonly called “ghee” was one of the backbones of our cooking. A jar of the homemade stuff, which has been in our cultural cuisine for millennia, was at arm’s reach for everything from tempering spices to slathering garam garam (freshly-made, hot) rotis for an after-school snack.

Now, the ancient golden-coloured superfood is making a splash on social media and entering non-desi homes at such a rapid rate that the North American butter and ghee market value is expected to reach more than US$32-billion by 2029, more than double its worth in 2024.

For many in the diaspora, it is mind-boggling to see its rise, as I have a soft spot for the ingredient (which is also known as “ghyo” or “ney,” depending on where you’re from and what dialect you speak at home.) And I’m not the only one.

“That act of making ghyo is so personal to me. It adds a layer of care to what I’m making,” said Surrey, B.C.-based Raj Thandhi, founder of lifestyle blog Pink Chai. “It feels and tastes like home to me.”

What makes ghee so special?

The process of making it involves gently simmering butter to evaporate the water and caramelize the milk solids, adding this beautiful, toasty caramel-y nuttiness to its flavour profile: “What’s left behind is not only the fat, but you’ve also got fat-soluble amino acids and proteins that didn’t precipitate out,” says Nik Sharma, the bestselling author behind The Flavor Equation: The Science of Great Cooking Explained + More Than 100 Essential Recipes and Veg-Table: Recipes, Techniques, and Plant Science for Big-Flavored, Vegetable-Focused Meals and The Flavor Files Substack newsletter.

As the James Beard Award nominee breaks down the science, he shares some of its many advantages. For example, when frying an egg in olive oil, it generally sticks in a cast iron or stainless-steel pan.

“Butter or ghee will never stick because of the amino acids and proteins present in dairy fats that bind to the metal surface of the pan, so the egg slides off much more easily,” Sharma added.

Unlike butter, ghee is lactose- and casein-free, can last for months at room temperature, and has a high smoke point of about 485 F, which is perfect for basting melt-in-your-mouth kebabs, crafting the crispiest of dosas and even deep-frying.

Here’s the thing: in our culture, the golden-coloured ingredient isn’t reserved for culinary preparations. Oozing with natural fatty acids, nourishing vitamins A, D, E and K and skin-soothing properties, South Asian bibis (or elders) have used the pantry staple as part of ancient Ayurvedic wellness rituals and everyday beauty regimens for centuries. “It is a fuel. It is medicine. It is a cosmetic thing. It is a food. It is a spiritual and cultural connection point,” said Vreshin Naga, co-founder of Vresh Foods (a ghee purveyor in Calgary). “And then there’s this whole other world when you dive into its nutritional and functional benefits.”

Making ghyo is personal to Raj Thandi, who finds it adds a layer of care into what she’s making.Supplied

Over the years, that superfood narrative shifted, prompting many South Asian households to choose refined vegetable oil, which are stripped of any sort of goodness, over ghee because voices outside the community claimed it was not good for them, their cholesterol or heart health. But it was not as though people were eating a whole tub of the stuff. “From a health perspective, my mom always says, ‘Use less, but use a good quality ingredient.’ And that is always ghyo in my house,” said Thandhi.

“We grew up being told that eating ghyo is how you will be healthy, build your bones and muscle,” she added. “There’s always this conversation about why brown people have so much milk in their carts. There was negativity about how much dairy we eat, but all of a sudden, everybody’s really into ghyo. The idea that people vilify an ingredient is just as strange as people will put one ingredient on a pedestal. There’s a lack of a middle ground and a holistic approach to using things.”

Naga echoed similar sentiments. “Western communities have cherry-picked aspects of Indian cuisine or culture – things like yoga or turmeric – and then they become the chosen ones that will become popular.” Nowadays, Naga speaks to a growing community of South Asian entrepreneurs taking pride in what they do and showcasing our cuisine’s value without diluting what makes it unique. That, in turn, is helping to debunk some of the misinformation out there.

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Part of the confusion concerns how a cost-effective variation – made using anhydrous milk fat or butter oil – has been labelled. “If you ask me, it’s not really ghee,” states Naga, who crafts his ‘OG Ghee’ using 100 per cent Canadian butter. “If you read the ingredients of a lot of those brands, it won’t say butter; it’ll say milk fat.”

Mumbai-raised, L.A.-based food scientist Nik Sharma also raises concerns about simply calling it clarified butter. “It’s a form of clarified butter if you go by European standards, but it’s not butter. Butter has water, and it’s an emulsion; this isn’t an emulsion. So, trying hard to fit ghee into a Western framework is not helpful. We should just say, ‘This is ghee. It comes from butter – or it’s derived from butter through caramelization’ – and leave it at that. We don’t do this for chili crisp; why are we doing it for Indian food?”

Whether tossing steamy pasta, searing steaks or crafting lush popcorn, Naga believes ghee fits very well into North American culinary habits. For instance, you can pop corn kernels directly in the fat without fearing it’ll burn.

Thandhi and Sharma, on the other hand, like to show off those delicate, sweet aromas that can sometimes get lost when cooking with fragrant spices. “My husband is from the American South, so a lot of their recipes will use lard or Crisco to get that flaky, tender pie crust,” said Sharma, who reaches for ghee instead. “It’s just pure fat, which helps create a flaky texture. We’ve seen that in parathas, right? We’re replicating that. It requires a bit of manipulation – I’m adjusting the ratios – but the fact that I can get that flavour speaks volumes.”

We, as a community, come from a long lineage of descendants whose love language involves feeding people, so it was never about gatekeeping this sacred ingredient but finally giving it the respect it deserves. With its resurgence in both desi and non-desi households, it’s only a matter of time before this ingenious self-stable apocalypse food becomes the MVP in kitchens across Canada. Let’s hope it’s here to stay.

NIK SHARMA/Chronicle Books

Ingredients: “I don’t do the cream method like my mother used to; I just buy unsalted butter. I like European-style butter because it’s high in fat. You get a slightly larger yield, so there is more bang for my buck.”

Patience: “I usually make it in a stainless-steel saucepan over a really low heat; don’t fiddle with it. I don’t even skim the milk solids sometimes. I honestly don’t have the time to sit at the stove and skim – those are milk solids anyway. They’ll come down to the bottom, turn brown and add more flavour, so it’s fine.”

Straining: “Don’t use a tea strainer because something always goes through. Invest in a good cheesecloth and make a large batch – it could last a year. Strain, and then make sure the bottle is completely clean and dry. If there are a few drops of water, it will go rancid faster.”

Storage: “Stick whatever you’re not using in the refrigerator. Never store it in the light – whether sunlight or light in the house – and keep it away from the stove. I keep it in the pantry in a clear glass bottle.”

I find it fascinating when I notice how similar dishes are prepared in different parts of the world. Take Indian khichdi and Italian risotto, for example: Both rely on the use of starch in rice to create a luxuriously creamy texture, and both fall into the comfort food category. This risotto is a representation of both those dishes through the incorporation of ghee, lentils and turmeric used in khichdi, while using the Arborio rice, stock, and Parmesan that are more common in risotto.

This cake isn’t one you make for its looks, but it is one you’ll fall in love with for its flavour. Nutty with a buttery texture and lightly aromatic, this is the perfect fall cake. It’s also a great base cake. Add chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or even dried apricots to elevate it for company, or enjoy it as is with a cup of tea.

I’ve used shakkar which is powdered jaggery – easy to find at your local South Asian store, or even in the ethnic aisle at big box grocers. However, if you don’t have access to it, substitute it with dark brown sugar. The cake will come out slightly lighter, but just as tasty

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