Gheeful
Ross has started taking an Indian cooking class at the BCAE, and it transpires that (as we have long suspected but been reluctant to acknowledge) all our years of attempting to combine health concerns with the lust for the perfect homemade saag have been misguided ones; truly, there is no real Indian food without The Power of The Ghee.
Now that we know this, friends, now that we have smelled the strangely sweet fragrance of spices happily popping away in clarified butter, witnessed the beautiful creamy swirl of more than a cup of cream blending into cooked tomatoes, and tasted the mouth-magic that is leftover Murgh Masala for lunch, we can never go back.
For we are, at long last, gheeful.
February 26th, 2007 at 9:27 pm
Sinfully delicious, what else can I say!
February 27th, 2007 at 6:52 am
Hilarious! Ross looks perfect in that beautifully taken shot. I can’t wait for you guys to arrive in May so that the Sethi-Moeys can be GHEEFUL too!! Gotta get Ash to try your cooking… love & hugs…
February 27th, 2007 at 9:03 am
I suppose it is only right that the first three comments on “Gheeful” should come from home; one from a 0% Indian, one from a 50% Indian-who also writes on behalf of two 25% Indians- and lastly, from a 100% Indian. For many decades, and for all I know even now,the best and most expensive ghee sold in Singapore, was called “QBB”. We always thought that it was the best ghee made in India. Imagine my surprise when I found out that QBB stood for the
Queensland Butter Board! Your picture of Ross (as always he looks very good) shows the brand as a lamp ? Alladin brand and the picture of a sacred cow under the word Ghee. I wonder if the ghee comes from India.
An Indian chef at an Indian restuarant in Singapore told me once, many years ago, that ghee was not good for Singaporeans. He said that ghee will “jam” the blood vessels and lead to heart attacks. I think we have not used ghee in our cooking since then. Perhaps with the present concerns about health risks of trans fats, ghee will make a comeback.
February 28th, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Ross suffered a major computer tragedy two days ago, and was therefore unable to reply to your comments. He says
1) Of course we will cook for you in May!
2) The ghee is “Deep” brand and is made in the city of Union, NJ. For this reason he is dubious about the claim on the bottle that it is “Best Quality.”
I’m pretty sure clarified butter does, in fact, “jam” the blood vessels of not only Singaporeans, but people of various other nationalities as well. I always had a vague sense that ghee was bad for you, but to be honest I wasn’t entirely sure what the fact that it was “clarified” butter meant, until Ross explained that it translates into “helpfully rid of all substances that are not pure fat.”
Before it melts into a glassy pool in the pan, it looks weird and yellow and kind of snotty.
That is probably Nature’s way of making it less appetizing.
It does not work.
February 28th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
Uncle Vijay, your experience with ghee is almost identitical to the story that I was about to present. I had no idea that it stood for Queensland Butter Board! I too always assumed that it was from India. Maybe it was the packaging? It always struck me as being very Indian. QBB obviously have some very talented people in the marketing department.
We too have stopped using ghee @ home. Now it is reserved for the prayer lamps at the altar and my grandmother pulls out her secret tin every now and then to make the most delicious chappatis ever.
February 28th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
This forum is still a bunch of Indians talking about ghee. Brilliant.
February 28th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
In today’s class we used almost no ghee — and the food still tasted wonderful! I was able to sneak home a bit of aloo paratha (ok, that was fried in a touch of ghee) for Meera, which she thought was fantastic. During class I asked the instructor how she decides when to use oil instead of ghee. Her response: “Ghee *always* tastes better, but you have to pick your health battles and paratha always gets fried with ghee.”
I’m looking forward to tasting this highly acclaimed QBB ghee in May!