“Ghee that is aged ten years or more becomes a powerful toxin that is used medicinaly…useful in obesity, epilepsy, vertigo, headaches and eye and ear disorders…mix with water and given in tiny drops…it is so powerful that it can revive a man from a coma”
from the book:
Lessons From The Ayurveda by Navayauvana dasa Adhikari

Well, have a good journey
Janardan Das from Montreal

Funnily enough I made cookies from a recipe last week that called for browned butter which is basically the same thing. They were delicious.

I am an American, but like you I prefer to make everything from scratch. I make idli batter from scratch, and always grind my spices. Of course, here in the US the coconuts (from Mexico) are pretty anemic, so I definitely buy canned coconut milk. Some of the Thai brand here are really excellent.

Thank you for all your thoughtful posts – I always enjoy reading them.

industrialisation and mechanisation is creeping into the everyday life of india, and kerala, as well. these days, people prefer to buy their rice and wheat flour. batter for idly / dosa is now available in plastic packets, over the counter. and masala powders abound, in all varieties. people have started buying packaged skinned small onions, canned coconut milk and packaged ground mixture of fried coconut and chillies for making the spicy theeyal. even ready-to-serve curry packets of all sorts are now lining up the supermarket rows.

but, thankfully, there are a lot of people who prefer to do things from the scratch. like we making curd and ghee. we don’t use sambar powder. my husband, a die-hard enthusiast of traditional cooking, never believes in powders ! corriander powder is kept for emergencies only. usually, a spoonful of corriander is roasted for some seconds and powdered in the mixer. we do buy the batter. but that is because we don’t plan early enough for making idlies ! and at least, these batter packets are locally made, often packed in front of you from the grinders.

i wonder whether you’ve visited kerala ever. if not, i am inviting you. by the time kat grows up a little bit and gets ready for globe-trotting, get ready to visit kerala. we live in kochi. you can visit the most untouristy places, i promise ! we have a lot of american / european friends, some of whom have settled down here !
love,
renu.

Oh – and it makes the house smell SO good while making it. The only tricky thing at all is not to walk away and take a shower or something while it’s on the stove, as it can go from golden to burnt fairly quickly once it gets “done” and to the right stage. A bit toasty is fine, and you can over-cook it for a bit with no huge ill effects though. I have made it from golden to caramel colored, depending on when I notice it being done. I always wait until the boiling/bubbling stops, indicating water has left it, and it settles down to a nice low simmer, with just a few tiny bubbles, and no “spitting” to indicate it is done.

I would encourage everyone to make it. The first time I tried, I thought – “that’s it? that’s all there is to it?” It’s easy, and you know exactly what is in it. I make mine with organic butter. You don’t know how old the stuff in the stores is. And you don’t know how thoroughly they processed it to get all the water out of it – more water means a cheaper, higher margin product but also one that doesn’t last as long. And you don’t really know if it is 100% butter fat. So much better to make your own.