Lauded as "the finest Indian restaurant in the world," Vij's most popular recipe is here for Food Trend readers compliments of Vikram and his wife Meeru.

If you’ve ever sampled fine Indian fare and wondered about the layered complexity of a dish, chances are, you’ll have tasted a dish or two made with ghee. Ghee is basically clarified butter and cooks know that when preparing Indian food, there really is no comparable substitute for it. Nutty, rich and deep, ghee is often used as the oil of choice when preparing Indian food and as a bonus, since milk solids have been removed, it can be heated to high temperatures without burning.

Yes, you can buy ghee at South Asian grocery stores, but just like anything else, when you make it yourself, you’ll know what you put into it or more importantly, what’s gratefully missing!

Vikram Vij and wife Meeru Dhalwala of Vij’s in Vancouver highly recommend you use ghee when preparing their recipes. How to use it? Here’s what they say, “We use ghee like butter, but in smaller quantities. If you like ghee, you can always use it in place of canola oil. Or you can use half ghee, half oil to make up the required amount of oil in a recipe."

Only have Salted Butter? Here's a Great Tip from Meeru:

"We usually start with unsalted butter, but you can also use the salted variety. The salt will just burn slightly and drop to the bottom of the pan once the ghee is made. Just be sure to leave the salt in the bottom of the pan when you pour off the ghee. The entire process, from solid butter to ghee, should take 15 to 18 minutes.”

Ghee Recipe Courtesy of Vikram Vij and Meeru Dhalwala

Makes 1 1/3 cups

1 lb unsalted butter

Method:

Melt butter in a small, heavy pot on medium heat. Once melted, reduce the heat slightly and boil gently for 5 minutes. Using a small sieve, scoop out the solids that are floating on top. Continue gently boiling butter and scooping the floating solids every 3 minutes. Scoop carefully so you remove only the solids and not the actual ghee that is forming. You will notice the butter change slowly change from a creamy light yellow to a clear golden liquid with fewer solids.

After 10 to 13 minutes the ghee will start to foam. Using the sieve, scoop through the foam to make sure you have removed all of the solids. Once the foam reduces, you will have a clear golden liquid. This is ghee. Turn off the heat and allow ghee to cool for about 20 minutes.

Pour ghee into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Once it is completely cool, refrigerate ghee until solid. Can be used right away. Will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 months (or longer).

And for a dish you can sink your teeth into, here’s Vij’s signature dish- Marinated Lamb Popsicles with Fenugreek Cream Curry. Meeru says, “The size of the lamb popsicles will depend on the rack of lamb you buy. If the popsicles are bigger, then four per person is usually enough. This recipe is for 30 medium size popsicles, with five per person.”

Marinated Lamb Popsicles with Fenugreek Cream Curry Recipe

Marinade:

• 4 lbs French cut racks of lamb, in chops
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 3/4 cup grainy yellow mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Combine the popsicles with all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Cream curry:

4 cups whipping cream

• 1 Tbs salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried green fenugreek leaves (known as “kasuri methi”)
• 60 ml or 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 60 ml or 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 tablespoons packed finely chopped garlic
• 1 tsp turmeric

In a large bowl, mix the whipping cream, salt, paprika, cayenne, fenugreek flakes and lemon juice. In a medium size pot, saute the garlic in canola oil on medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the garlic is golden. Stir in the turmeric, and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream mixture, stir and heat on low to medium heat for about five minutes, or until it is gently boiling.

Finish Lamb Popsicles:

Preheat a stove-top cast iron grill or an outside barbeque to high heat. Each side of the popsicles should be grilled for two to three minutes. You can either pour the cream curry over the grilled popsicles or use the cream curry as a dipping curry for the popsicles.