Chapati
This measured chapati uses whole-wheat atta and water, with salt and oil or ghee optional. Rest the dough, roll it thin and cook through on a hot tawa; it is distinct from the partly cooked, puffed phulka route.
Ghee, clarified butter and rendered fats
ghee · clarified butter
Butter heated until most water leaves and the milk solids separate, giving a fat that keeps far longer than butter. Rendering applies the same heat to animal tissue to make lard and tallow.
Clarified butter
Ghee is butter cooked slowly until the water leaves and the milk solids separate. The clear fat is strained off and kept. The heat removes most of the water, which is why the fat keeps much longer than butter.
A slow cooker or an open pan gives the browned, toasted character associated with ghee. A sealed low-temperature bag keeps the water in the fat and does not give that character.
Sources for this section
Rendered fats
Rendering uses heat to separate usable fat from moist animal tissue. Straining and suitable storage give reserves such as lard and tallow. The fat can then be an ingredient or the medium for other preserved foods.
Sources for this section
History
Clarified butter is one of the oldest fat preparations. Ancient South Asian traditions and longstanding African and western Asian practice use heat to remove water and separate milk solids, so the fat keeps longer than butter. The catalogue also covers rendering, which heats animal tissue to separate usable fat such as lard and tallow.
Ingredients
Scaling: not established by the sources.
Buttermelted slowly
Amount not stated
Method
Risks and precautions
Residual water
Water left in the fat shortens its keeping, so the heat must drive it off.
Hazard sourceHeat until the water has gone and store the fat dry and cool
Control sourceBurnt milk solids spoil the flavour; watch the colour closely.
- Melt the butter slowly in an open pan or a slow cooker.
- Heat until the water has gone and the milk solids separate.
- Strain off the clear fat and let it cool.
- Store the fat in a suitable container; a sealed low-temperature bag keeps water and cannot give the dried, toasted character of ghee.
Places
South Asia, western Asia and North Africa
Traditional preparation · Region evidenceRegional association from the FAO dairy account; the catalogue names ancient South Asian traditions.
Related
What to make with it
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Related in the family
Aarts (Mongolian fermented-milk curds)
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Clotted cream (Cornish style)
High-fat cream scalded below boiling for at least an hour until a thick crust forms, then cooled hard so the crust sets and the cream beneath thickens.
Crème fraîche
Crème fraîche is cream soured by lactic cultures into a thick, mild topping. It suits fruit and desserts as well as soups, sauces and other savoury dishes.
Cultured butter
Cultured butter is churned from cream soured with lactic cultures. Its lightly tart flavour comes from the cultured cream, which separates into butter grains and buttermilk.
Cultured buttermilk
Cultured buttermilk is skim milk soured with a lactic starter into a tangy drink. This Canadian home method sets the milk without churning cream.
Cultured buttermilk, direct-set
Milk thickened with a packet of buttermilk culture makes a tangy drink and a baking ingredient. This warm-incubated version uses whole milk.
Filmjölk
Filmjölk is a Swedish cultured milk with mild acidity and a spoonable body. This recurring batch uses filmjölk from the previous batch to culture fresh milk.
Greek-style strained yogurt
Greek-style strained yogurt is cultured whole milk drained through cloth to remove whey. This modern Utah home method makes a thick yogurt from a gallon batch.
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Sources
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsMethod · History
FAO dairy processing account: butter and gheeHeating butter removes most water and separates milk solids
The fat keeps much longer than ordinary butter
Cited in: Clarified butter
Project GutenbergMethod · History
Rendering of animal fat in historical household practiceHeating separates usable fat from moist tissues; straining and storage create lard and tallow
Cited in: Rendered fats