Pantry | For The Love Of Ghee

As a child, my grandmother made this syrup with fresh roses from her garden, when roses actually smelled of roses. She simmered the freshly washed petals with the sugar syrup. The roses infused the syrup with their soft scent and tinted the syrup a bright ruby red.

A favorite treat she made in the summer was homemade popsicles. She crushed the ice and molded it into balls on a stick and poured the sticky ruby red liquid all over it. It was such fun, sitting in her garden amongst her flower pots, indulging on what was once growing on the shrub next to us.

Well with summer around the corner, it’s time to bust out the ideal recipe for a cool refreshing drink. My take on the perfect drink is a homemade rose syrup that’s been infused with cardamom pods, complimented with a hint of licorice flavor, from the fennel seeds and a bit of a zing from the ginger. I seldom use organic red roses to add to the syrup as they cost ‘an arm and a leg’ but if you have access to them, a handful of red petals should do. In my recipe I’ve used a good quality rose essence to infuse this syrup instead.

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Ghee is the true essence of the food I grew up eating as a child.

Being of Indian heritage and growing up in Zimbabwe, I am proud to say I have stayed well connected to our indian culture, tradition and most importantly the food.

a bowl of fluffy rice dowsed in ghee and a spoonful of sugar. Pure heaven!
a square of perfectly made barfi, an indian sweet confectionary made with milk.
a delicate biryani doused in ghee. Taking days to make with the utmost attention to detail and made with the finest ingredients.
hadur waro keer – a warm milky concoction, an antidote to a cold and cough, made with ghee and turmeric, sweetened with jaggery. Perfect on a cold wintery day before bed time.

However, I’d absolutely devour a good steak and kidney pie in a heart beat. That’s the great thing about growing up in Zimbabwe, I ate as much homebound indian food, as well as, tonnes of food influenced along the way by british cookery.

Hot, yummy and crispy fish and chips made to perfection.
A moist sausage roll made with the flakiest pastry
and let’s not forget Shepherds pie, just to name a few.

As an Indian who grew up in Africa, I have a unique twist on classic Indian recipes. As well a bounty of European and now American recipes to share. Please join me in my epic adventure in jotting down these glorious finds.

Enjoy, comment, and let’s make ghee!!

All recipes and photos on this blog are the copyright of fortheloveofghee.
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