After weeks of ladoos, halwas and festival menus, it is worth ending somewhere simpler. Most of the pleasure of good ghee is not in grand recipes. It is in small, daily habits, a spoon here and there, that make ordinary food taste like home. Here are ten we come back to.
1. On the first bite of hot rice
A small spoon of ghee on steaming rice with a pinch of salt, eaten on its own before the dal arrives. In Andhra, it comes with a spicy podi. In Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, with plain dal. In any home, it is the best argument for buying good ghee.
2. Brushed on a hot roti
A quarter teaspoon, brushed over a phulka straight off the flame. It keeps rotis soft for hours. See soft phulkas.
3. A quick tadka on yesterday's dal
Leftover dal gets a new life with a teaspoon of ghee heated with cumin and a pinch of chilli powder, poured over as it reheats. Two minutes. See twelve tadkas from across India.
4. Ghee and jaggery after a meal
A small piece of jaggery with a few drops of ghee after lunch is an old habit in Rajasthani and Gujarati homes. It is a sweet end to a meal in a very small portion.
5. Ghee toast
Toast bread on a tawa with a little ghee instead of butter. Finish with salt and pepper, or sugar and cinnamon. Crisp, nutty and quick.
6. In your morning poha, upma or oats
Temper them in ghee, or stir half a teaspoon in at the end. Plain breakfasts become noticeably more satisfying. See rava upma.
7. Roasting spices for the week
Dry-roasted cumin powder is standard, but cumin roasted in a few drops of ghee, then ground, has a deeper aroma. Make a small jar for raita and chaas.
8. Finishing a plain sabzi
A teaspoon of ghee stirred into a simple vegetable just before serving, especially lauki, tinda or pumpkin, adds richness to otherwise mild dishes.
9. A handful of ghee-roasted makhana
Ten minutes in a pan with a spoon of ghee and salt, and there is a snack for the whole week. See makhana three ways.
10. In a child's khichdi or dal-rice
A few drops of ghee in a small bowl of khichdi is how many Indian children are fed, and how many adults still like to eat when they are tired. See moong dal khichdi.
A few habits that help
- Keep a small working jar near the dining table, and the rest in a cupboard.
- Use a clean, dry spoon, always.
- Use a teaspoon rather than pouring, so you know how much you are using. See how much is reasonable.
- Warm half a spoon now and then, just to smell it.
That is the end of this series. If you have a ghee question we have not answered, or a family habit we should hear about, send us a message on WhatsApp. And if you would like to try any of these with a jar of bilona ghee, our A2 Gir Cow Ghee and Desi Cow A2 Ghee ship free across India.