IngredientsDairy & fat
Butterschmalzclarified butter
The water is cooked out of the butter and the milk protein skimmed off. What is left is pure butterfat, golden and clear.
That protein is exactly what makes ordinary butter brown and then turn bitter in the pan. Without it the fat holds far above 200 degrees.
Wofürwhat for
Frying Schnitzel. The breading needs hot fat, otherwise it soaks up grease and goes soggy instead of crisp.
Also for potato pancakes, fried potatoes and anything that wants high heat and a buttery taste at the same time.
In Mexikoin Mexico
It is mantequilla clarificada. Under its Indian name, ghee, it is easier to find: City Market, health food shops, Mercado Libre.
Ghee is the same principle cooked a little longer, so it tastes slightly nuttier. For frying that makes no difference.
Selbst klärenmaking it yourself
Melt 250 grams of unsalted butter over very low heat. Do not stir. It takes about 20 minutes.
White foam gathers on top: skim it off. A milky sediment settles at the bottom. Pour the clear yellow in between through a cloth into a jar and leave the sediment in the pan. Chilled, it keeps for months.
Vorsichtwatch out
Manteca vegetal and other baking fats look similar and are not the same thing. That is hydrogenated vegetable fat with no butter taste.
The pack has to say mantequilla or ghee, not vegetal.