Butter ghee

Warm a little ghee in a small pan, add spices such as cumin seeds or mustard seeds, and take it off the heat once they crackle. Pour it over dal just before serving.

Yes. It handles hotter pan cooking than ordinary butter, so it works well for frying spices, sautéing vegetables or cooking parathas; lower the heat if it starts to smoke.

Keep it in a tightly closed jar in a cool, dark cupboard, and use a clean, dry spoon each time. Refrigerating it is optional, but it will make the ghee firmer.

You can swap it for melted butter in some cakes and biscuits, but ghee has no water or milk solids, so the texture may turn out different. It’s a closer fit in recipes that call for melted butter than in buttercream.

Ghee is made by heating butter and removing its water and milk solids, giving it a more concentrated, nutty flavour. Butter has 727 kcal per 100 g, compared with 878 kcal per 100 g for butter ghee.

A level teaspoon, about 5 g, is a handy amount for frying one egg or adding to a serving of dal; it provides 44 kcal. For a whole pan of food, start with a small spoonful rather than pouring straight from the jar.

Yes. Butter ghee is a source of vitamin A, and it also contains vitamin E.