Main image via Shutterstock

You’ve always been having ghee in your biryani, payasam and kesari—and you know some food without ghee just won’t taste quite as perfect. But do you know what exactly ghee is?

Ghee, also known as clarified butter, is basically butter that has been cooked to remove all of its water. Ordinary butter is melted, which then separates it into liquid fats and milk solids. The milk solids are then removed, leaving behind a nutty, caramelised yellow liquid that will harden when cooled down.

We don’t need to tell you that ghee has been widely used throughout the Indian community for thousands of years—your patti probably already told you that. But here are some other interesting things about ghee that you may not know…

#1 Banana leaf rice tastes better with a few drops of hot ghee

Don’t believe us? Try it for yourself. The next time you’re having banana leaf rice, add a few drops of ghee on your rice. Make sure to only use pure ghee though—not blended ones. It’ll make a big, delicious difference!

#2 Ghee can be used to give your face a healthy glow

You can make a brightening face mask using ghee. Just mix gram flour with an equal amount of ghee and water. Mix the paste, then apply it on your face and neck. Rinse it off after 15 minutes.

#3 Ghee is a favourite ingredient in most ayurvedic treatments

There are four types of fat described in Ayurveda: ghee, oil, animal fat, and bone marrow. Ghee is considered the best among all fat substances, and thousands of formulas for medicated ghee are described in Ayurveda for the treatment of illnesses, especially those involving inflammation.

#4 Ghee can help moisturise your hair too

Because ghee contains fatty acids that induce hydration in skin cells, it’s a good natural ingredient for a hair mask! Just heat some ghee up and apply it to the ends of your hair. Leave it for one hour before shampooing your hair.

#5 Ghee is not likely to affect lactose intolerant people

There are some of us who are lactose intolerant—which means that our bodies cannot digest a sugar that’s found in milk and dairy products. Unlike butter, ghee doesn’t have milk solids, so it’s lactose-free and won’t give lactose-intolerant people an upset tummy!

#6 Ghee can last a really, really long time

Because ghee doesn’t contain water, it doesn’t contain bacteria that can cause it to spoil. So, you can keep it in your kitchen for a long time! Psst: just make sure it doesn’t get wet, and don’t store it near water or steam.

#7 Ghee doesn’t burn and smoke easily

Ghee has a high smoke point. What this means is, it takes a higher temperature for ghee—compared to other cooking fat—to burn and smoke. Heating a cooking fat beyond its smoke point creates a greater risk of fire, and also breaks down important phytonutrients, causing fat to oxidize and form harmful free radicals. Ghee, on the other hand, reduces these chances. It can easily be used for baking, sautéing, and roasting without the risk of destroying important nutrients.

Now that you know how much of a magical ingredient ghee is, you’re probably planning on stocking up your kitchen with it. And a good brand of ghee to try out is Enrico’s Pure Ghee.

Made from fresh cow’s milk and imported from the New Zealand Dairy Board, Enrico’s Pure Ghee is the top selling ghee in this region. Also, no additives or flavouring are added to it, so all the goodness and aroma you get from it is natural.

Enrico’s Pure Ghee is available at all hypermarkets and in many retail outlets around the country. For more information, click here.