In a heavy bottomed 3 quart saucepan, heat one pound of sweet butter, cut into tiny pieces, over low heat. It should not sizzle, just melt slowly. This could take 5-15 minutes.

When the butter has melted completely, increase heat to medium. A thin layer of foam will form on the top and the liquid will begin to crackle as the moisture is released. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes. You don’t need to stir it. Little crumbs of milk solids will form in the liquid and cover the bottom.

When the crackling stops and the foam subsides, this indicates that there is no more moisture left in the liquid fat. From this point, you must watch it carefully because the foam will reform and you have to push it aside to see the bottom. Just when the solids on the bottom turn brown, turn off the heat and let the residue settle to the bottom.

(This browning is the critical moment. Brown enough makes the nutty flavor of ghee. Yum. Too brown just tastes burnt.)

When the ghee is cool enough to handle, pour the clear liquid into a superclean jar, taking care that none of the residue from the bottom of the pan gets into the jar. You can also strain it through a double layer of cheesecloth if you want. Cover it tightly with a lid.

Ghee, or usli ghee as it is sometimes called, will keep in the refrigerator for like four months. It can be kept on the kitchen counter for up to a month if the temperature is less than 75 degrees in your kitchen. If you don’t think you’ll use it all that quickly, you can put some into a separate jar and keep it in the freezer as long as you want. One pound of butter will make about 1 1/2 cups of ghee.

My directions came from Julie Sahni’s cookbook, Classic Indian Cooking. I bought it for Chris for Christmas the year we were engaged. It was a wonderful investment for a happy marriage.