Nourish your Kidney Qi with Ghee!

Here in Australia we are in the throes of winter. Cold nights, dark mornings, storms and rain in abundance! We need the water to fill our dams so I choose never to complain about the rain!  In Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter relates to the Water element and governs the Kidney and Bladder organs.  The BEST thing we can do in winter is nourish our Kidneys and build our energy with the right foods, lots of rest and spend time dreaming of all the wonderful things we want to do when spring arrives!

Ghee is a wonderful food to add to your winter diet. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ghee nourishes the Kidneys.  Research has shown that Ghee enhances the availability of enzymes responsible for detoxification of cancer causing substances, improves blood HDL levels which is good for the heart and poses no danger to cardiac health if eaten within the prescribed limits.

When used for cooking, Ghee has a high smoke point which makes it an ideal choice for our health, even better than olive oil.  On researching the benefits last week, I decided to have a go at making my own and it was as easy as pie!  Not only am I enjoying eating my home made ghee but the making of it nourished my soul on a cold winter’s day.

So here’s the recipe for you to try out.

Grab two 250 g blocks of unsalted, good quality butter from the grocery store.  Put in a dry, middle sized, stainless steel, thick bottomed saucepan.  Melt the butter on a slow heat until it is completely melted and then let it bubble away until there is a foam on the top and the liquid underneath the foam looks clear and golden.  (takes about 10 minutes).

When the crackling stops or the liquid is gorgeously golden and clear underneath the foam (use a spoon to check), it’s time to sieve.

Make sure you have a couple of sterilised glass jars ready for your Ghee!

Use a fine sieve ( I used a tea strainer)  and pour the ghee into the jar.  You might want to sieve it twice to remove any foam or milk proteins that are left.

And that’s all there is to it!  Now just leave the Ghee to cool before putting the lids on and it’s ready to use.  It doesn’t have to be refrigerated but you can if you want to until needed.  (I keep one jar near the stove and one in the fridge for later on).