Topic: Ghee or Coconut oil?

[Arnooos]

Hey all.

I was looking for your preference in the matter.
I've never tried using Ghee, heck I didn't even knew it excited until yesterday.
But it seems easy enough to make.
And am a bit skeptical to just try it out this weekend for a dinner party...

From what I've read in recipes Ghee or coconut is used. I've always used coconut.
But what is exactly the difference in the two when it comes to taste?
What benefits or downsides are there for the use of both?
Can I use Ghee i.e. just to cook the meat and use the coconut oil in the curry itself?

Curious for the answers.
 

[Peripatetic Phil]

Ghee is firm (like hard butter), coconut oil is a liquid.  When using ghee (which is really just clarified butter), it is essential to ensure that it is not rancid.  There is also vegetable ghee, by which some swear, that has no butter in it at all.  I use ghee only when cooking pulao rice, but it certainly has its place in traditional Indian cuisine, as does coconut oil which I confess I never use.  My bulk oil is rapeseed, my "fine cuisine" oils are groundnut and rice bran.  I also use (allegedly inedible) mustard seed oil in a few dishes, always remembering to temper it first.

** Phil.

[Arnooos]

Many thanks for you clear explanation!

Must say, over here we don't have that many different kind of oils.
More or less all the supermarket is offering is the basics for foreign kitchens.
There are some local Turkish and Moroccan  shops, but I can't remember ever seeing called vegetable oil, groundnuts oil or rapeseed oil. Guess I will have to google a recipe one of these days to try to recreate it.

But if I understand correctly, Ghee is used more or less for true traditional dishes but not a must per se, for the other part it's more or less your own preference / taste?
I've always used coconut oil and olive oil(with alternations with garlic, peppers and some herbs).
But never afraid to try out something new.
Guess I'll put the Ghee on hold for sole use then and try it out with just baking the chicken and onions.

But in the end when used in a curry, the Ghee will still be liquid like heated butter in the end?
Or will it more clot the sauce of the curry?
Is Ghee as well used as some sort of wok-paste?
As from the pictures that I've seen, it does show some resemblance.

[Peripatetic Phil]

Must say, over here we don't have that many different kind of oils.
More or less all the supermarket is offering is the basics for foreign kitchens.
There are some local Turkish and Moroccan  shops, but I can't remember ever seeing called vegetable oil, groundnuts oil or rapeseed oil.

In your local supermarket, "vegetable oil" is almost certain to be rapeseed (check the bottle :  "koolzaad", if Google is to be believed); for groundnut oil, an Oriental (Chinese) grocer or supermarket will be useful but not necessarily essential.

But if I understand correctly, Ghee is used more or less for true traditional dishes but not a must per se, for the other part it's more or less your own preference / taste?

That is my belief.

I've always used coconut oil and olive oil(with alternations with garlic, peppers and some herbs).
But never afraid to try out something new.

I never use olive oil in Indian cuisine, reserving it solely for Mediterranean and similar ...

But in the end when used in a curry, the Ghee will still be liquid like heated butter in the end?

It will be liquid when served, but will set by the next day (more or less).

Is Ghee as well used as some sort of wok-paste?

You could certainly use it for the initial frying of the spices.

** Phil.

[Arnooos]

Must say, over here we don't have that many different kind of oils.
More or less all the supermarket is offering is the basics for foreign kitchens.
There are some local Turkish and Moroccan  shops, but I can't remember ever seeing called vegetable oil, groundnuts oil or rapeseed oil.

In your local supermarket, "vegetable oil" is almost certain to be rapeseed (check the bottle :  "koolzaad", if Google is to be believed); for groundnut oil, an Oriental (Chinese) grocer or supermarket will be useful but not necessarily essential.

"Koolzaad" oil does sound a bit more logical then the literal translation I got from google translate.
Can remember seeing that ype before, thanks!

But if I understand correctly, Ghee is used more or less for true traditional dishes but not a must per se, for the other part it's more or less your own preference / taste?

That is my belief.

Thanks, all clear, bit of try and error what you prefer then.

I've always used coconut oil and olive oil(with alternations with garlic, peppers and some herbs).
But never afraid to try out something new.

I never use olive oil in Indian cuisine, reserving it solely for Mediterranean and similar ...

Well yeah, I usually cook a lot of Asian, Mediterranean, and Latin American, so I'm kinda used to using olive or sunflower oil to cook meat and veggies. But I reckon olive oil is not exactly the correct oil to be used in an Indian dish. Better use the vegetable oil instead.
 

But in the end when used in a curry, the Ghee will still be liquid like heated butter in the end?

It will be liquid when served, but will set by the next day (more or less).

All clear, then it's good that I hardly ever leave anything on my plate ;-).

Is Ghee as well used as some sort of wok-paste?

You could certainly use it for the initial frying of the spices.

Great! I've always wondered what they did use.
Guess I will just have to try and see what it does :-).

Br, Arno.

[Zibahimra]

I believe that something of this article, it helped us a lot better.