Ghee coffee has travelled a curious route. The idea of fat in coffee became popular abroad with butter, then came back to India with ghee, which Indian cooks had been stirring into warm milk and kadha for generations anyway. Stripped of the claims that tend to come attached, it is simply a good drink: rich, frothy and nutty. It does need to be made properly, or you end up with coffee and an oil slick.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (about 240 ml) hot brewed coffee
- 1 tsp ghee (up to 2 tsp once you are used to it)
- A pinch of cinnamon or a crushed cardamom pod (optional)
- Jaggery or sugar to taste (optional)
- A splash of milk (optional)
Method
- Brew strong coffee. Use a French press, pour-over, moka pot or South Indian filter. The coffee should be slightly stronger than you usually drink it, since the ghee softens its edges.
- Warm the blender or mug. Pour hot water into your blender jug or mug for a minute and discard it. Cold equipment makes the ghee set in streaks.
- Blend. Add the hot coffee, ghee, spice and sweetener to a blender. Blend on high for 15 to 20 seconds until the coffee turns pale and a thick foam forms on top. A handheld milk frother works too: froth for about 30 seconds.
- Serve immediately. The emulsion holds for a few minutes. After that the ghee begins to separate again.
Why blending matters
Fat and water do not mix on their own. Stirring a spoon of ghee into coffee leaves golden droplets floating on top, and the first sip coats your lips. Blending breaks the ghee into tiny droplets and suspends them in the coffee, which gives it a creamy, latte-like body without any milk. It is the same principle as whisking a salad dressing.
South Indian filter coffee version
This is our favourite. Make filter coffee decoction as usual. Heat ¾ cup milk with sugar. Add ½ tsp ghee to the decoction, then pour the hot milk over it and do the traditional pour between two tumblers from a height, five or six times, until frothy. The ghee rounds out the chicory bitterness and makes the froth last longer. Go easy: half a teaspoon is enough in milky coffee.
Flavour ideas
- Cardamom and jaggery: warm, familiar and very good.
- Cinnamon and a drop of vanilla: a café-style cup.
- Dry ginger (sonth) and black pepper: good on a cold morning.
- A pinch of salt: sounds odd, tastes rounder.
A realistic note
You will find a lot of big claims online about fat in coffee, from energy to weight loss. We would not rely on any of them. A teaspoon of ghee adds about 40 kcal and makes coffee richer and more satisfying for some people. That is a perfectly good reason to drink it. It is not a meal replacement, and if you are watching your fat intake, count it.
Which ghee to use
In coffee, the ghee's aroma is front and centre, so a bland ghee just adds richness while a flavourful one adds a toasty, almost caramel note. Start with a teaspoon of fresh, fragrant ghee and adjust.
We make ours with A2 Gir Cow Ghee, since there is so little else in the cup to hide behind.