Those who cannot afford to purchase ghee may substitute it with clarified vegetable oil, known as vanaspati. Affluent communities from regions where cattle rearing is a traditional occupation are more likely to regularly use ghee in their cooking. However, ghee is not equally popular in all parts of the subcontinent. While conventionally prepared at home by collecting cream from milk, it is now widely available as a commercially manufactured food product throughout the world. In many regions of South Asia, ghee is a culturally resonant food product. 2 Similar to other cooking fats, if stored incorrectly or left unused beyond its expiry date, oxidation can cause rancid flavours to develop. Several of these compounds are born as a result of a chemical reaction known as the Maillard reaction - the same browning process that creates flavour when coffee is roasted. Ghee has a nutty, caramel-like flavour because of flavour compounds such as aldehydes, ketones, and lactones which are created during the simmering process. Ghee is a golden cooking fat used commonly in South Asian cuisine. The resultant product is microbiologically stable due to its low moisture content. 1 The process of making ghee usually involves steam rising from a pan of hot cream, followed by particles of milk solids rising to the surface and then settling to the bottom as browned crumbs. During the thermal treatment, chemical changes occur in the milk fat as the moisture evaporates and remaining proteins and lactose undergo a breakdown. When produced commercially, ghee is obtained by concentrating fat from cow or buffalo milk and applying a suitable thermal treatment. Examples of such products include the Ethiopian niter kibbeh, Moroccan smen, Iranian roghan, and meshho from the Assyrian region. But despite being synonymous with South Asian cuisine, similar products have also been used by pastoral communities in the Middle East and Africa for thousands of years. Made by simmering butter to separate out milk solids, ghee is considered to be a traditional cooking fat used commonly in the South Asian region. But what exactly is this flavourful dairy fat and how is it made? As South Asian recipes gain popularity among food enthusiasts beyond the subcontinent, ‘ghee’ is turning into a pantry staple in many kitchens around the world.
0 kommentar(er)
