Simple Spiced Ghee Reciple

I love food, but if I'm being honest, I don't really love cooking. If I have a bunch of free time, it can be fun, but in my day-to-day life, I would rather spend my time elsewhere – which is why I love simple recipes like this one.

Spiced ghee offers a multitude of benefits, which I'll describe in more detail below, but one of my favorite things about adding spiced ghee to your meal is that you get to add some fat and spices with just one ingredient – now that's my style.

I add spiced ghee to almost all of my meals; veggie dishes, tempeh, chicken, quinoa, and lentils…I could go on.

The fat from the ghee makes your food taste rich and satisfying, while the spices create more depth to the flavor. You can use this exact recipe, or feel free to mix and match different herbs depending on what you're feeling.

Variety is the "spice" of life, after all. Sorry – I had to do it.

Spiced Ghee For Enhanced Digestion And More

Aside from the fact that it's a simple way to enhance the flavor of your meals, spiced ghee offers a range of health benefits.

First, let's talk about the ghee itself. Ghee is clarified butter, which means it's been heated and strained to remove all of the water and milk solids (like lactose and casein).

In Ayurveda, ghee is used to enhance digestive fire (Agni) because, unlike other forms of fat that can slow digestion, ghee enhances gastric secretions to help break down food. Ghee also improves nutrient absorption in the lining of your intestines, enhancing your cells' ability to take up nutrients and carry them into your circulation.

Its digestion-enhancing properties become particularly beneficial in spiced ghee, as it acts as a catalyst to drive beneficial nutrients found in your spices deep into your tissues.

As a source of fatty acids, ghee also nourishes and lubricates your body, helping to combat dryness caused by the Vata dosha (dry skin, dry hair, constipation, stiff joints).

Now let's take a look at the spices in this recipe.

Ginger, mustard, cumin, fennel, cinnamon, coriander, black pepper, and turmeric are all warming spices, which means that they create heat in your body and, therefore, can help fire up your digestion.

Furthermore, each of these spices comes with its own host of health benefits.

For example, ginger enhances gastric emptying, calms indigestion, and supports immunity[1][2]. Turmeric has potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity and may support neurological function[3]. Cinnamon is well-known to help regulate blood sugar. And fennel can calm digestive upset related to gas and bloating while potentially protecting against intestinal permeability (leaky gut)[4][5].

And this is just a small sampling of how these particular spices can enhance your overall health and well-being.

Spiced Ghee For The Winter Months

If your digestion is healthy and your body is balanced, your digestive fire will naturally become stronger during the winter months. This allows you to consume heavier foods that keep you warm and grounded as nature cools down around you.

However, you wouldn't be alone if you found that your digestive fire weakens in the winter, leaving you feeling bloated, constipated, sluggish, and lacking appetite. So many people struggle with digestion during the winter months because we're generally out of touch with nature, which means that the cold weather can dampen our internal fire.

Spiced ghee is an excellent ally to have on hand as you move through the winter months to ensure your digestive fire stays stoked. Even if your digestion is strong, there's no harm in keeping the fire going. So enjoy this recipe, and let me know what you think!

Simple Spiced Ghee Recipe

Below is my go-to recipe, but no worries if you don't follow it to a T. In fact, I pretty much just eye it out and hope for the best when I make it – and it always turns out great.

Ingredients:

2 cups ghee

4 tsp turmeric

2 tsp mustard seed

2 tsp cumin seed

2 tsp fennel seeds

2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp ginger powder

½ tsp cinnamon powder

¼ tsp black pepper

Instructions

Note: When cooking with turmeric, be mindful that this spice loves to leave a stain. I recommend not wearing white while you prepare this recipe – but I'm also not the "tidiest" cook, so use your best judgment 🙂.

Begin by heating ¼ cup of ghee in a small pot or pan on low (note: you do NOT want your ghee to start to bubble, so make sure your heat is not set too high).
As the ghee melts, add the turmeric, fennel, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper to a small bowl and mix together (leave the cumin and mustard seeds out of this mix).
Once the ghee is fully melted, add in your cumin and mustard seeds and allow them to cook for about three minutes, gently stirring.
Next, add your bowl of mixed spices to the ghee and allow them to cook for another three minutes, stirring as needed.
Finally, add the rest of your ghee and turn the heat down to the lowest setting, letting it all cook together for 15 minutes uncovered. (Note: be sure to leave the ghee uncovered because you don't want it to end up boiling.
After about 15 minutes, take the ghee off of your burner and let it cool. Once cooled, you can strain your ghee of the herbs, or if you choose, you can leave them in there - up to you.
Pour your spiced ghee into a glass jar, and enjoy!

Some Tips On How To Use Your Ghee:

Use it in place of other cooking oils for baking savory dishes
Stir-fry veggies with it
Coat your pan with it to make spiced scrambled eggs
Add it to your rice cooker with water when you make grains or beans
Pour it over your meal to add more flavor

References

Hu, Ming-Luen, et al. "Effect of ginger on gastric motility and symptoms of functional dyspepsia." World journal of gastroenterology: WJG 17.1 (2011): 105.
An, Shengying, et al. "Ginger extract enhances antioxidant ability and immunity of layers." Animal Nutrition 5.4 (2019): 407-409.
Menon, Venugopal P., and Adluri Ram Sudheer. "Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin." The molecular targets and therapeutic uses of curcumin in health and disease (2007): 105-125.
Das, Barun, et al. "The effect of a fennel seed extract on the STAT signaling and intestinal barrier function." Plos one 17.7 (2022): e0271045.
Khan, Alam, et al. "Cinnamon improves glucose and lipids of people with type 2 diabetes." Diabetes care 26.12 (2003): 3215-3218.