Ghee سمنة , Samneh or Samnah

I had a relatively quiet week this week since I spent most of it lying in bed sick! So, instead of a recipe as per normal I thought that I would put up a video and what better than one on how to make a commonly used ingredient in Egyptian cooking - Ghee.

Ghee is a clarified butter which means that there is no salt or milk solids in it.  The milk solids part is what actually burns when butter burns and so Ghee can be used in cooking at higher temperatures without it burning like normal butter.  It has a lovely flavour and can be (and is ideally) used in browning meat and vegetables, in white sauce such as for Lasagne or the Egyptian equivalent, Macarona bil beshamel or wherever butter is called for in savoury dishes.  Ghee is also ideal in sweet dishes like Baklava and Konafa as it has salt removed and so will not impact on the flavour of the final product and it will not burn.

I remember when I was growing up waiting in the kitchen at home when my mum was making this.  After she poured off the clarified butter mum would tip any small amount of remaining Ghee and salt into a bowl and we would stand around together with the plate in between us dipping fresh bread ever so delicately into the butter and salt and eating it - Yumm!!! Admittedly this is a decadent little treat I no longer allow myself to partake in (at least not too often)....

So here is the link to my first Egyptian cooking video - How to make Ghee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t18RoFeM898