Ghee is a class of clarified butter that originated in South Asia and is commonly used in South Asian (Indian, Bangladeshi, Nepali and Pakistani) cuisine and ritual.
The word ghee comes from Sanskrit: घृत (ghṛta, IPA: [ɡʱrit̪ə] 'sprinkled') and has several names around the world (Bengali: ঘী ghee, Punjabi: ਘਿਉ ghyo, Hindi: घी ghī, Gujarati: ઘી ghī, Maithili/ Nepali: घ्यू ghyū, Urdu: گھی ghī, Oriya: ଘିଅ gheeo, Marathi/Konkani: तूप tūp, Kannada: ತುಪ್ಪ tuppa, Malayalam: നെയ്യ് ney, Tamil: நெய் ney, Telugu: నెయ్యి neyyi, Somali: subaag, Arabic: سمنة samna, Persian: روغن حیوانی roghan-e heivani, Georgian: ერბო erbo, Indonesian: minyak samin, Malay: minyak sapi, Hausa: man shanu).
To prepare ghee, butter is melted in a pot over medium high heat. The butter begins to melt, forming a white froth on top. It is then simmered, stirring occasionally and the froth begins to thin slowly and the colour of the butter changes to a pale yellow shade. Then it is cooked on low heat until it turns a golden colour. The residue solids settle at the bottom and the ghee, which is now clear, golden and translucent and fragrant, is ready. The ghee is then filtered, and it will solidify when completely cool. Ghee can be stored for extended periods without refrigeration, provided it is kept in an airtight container to prevent oxidation and remains moisture-free. The texture, colour and taste of ghee depend on the source of the milk from which the butter was made and the extent of boiling and simmering.