Niter Kibbeh

This is an Ethiopian spiced, clarified butter/margarine that is used in many dishes. There really is not good substitute; it's well forth the time to have some of this in your fridge for future use. You can use it in any recipes veggie or meat dishes where you are using butter or margarine, so don't worry about running out of uses for this if you don't plan on making many Ethiopian dishes. It makes about two cups, and you can use a plastic container to store it in the fridge (where it will keep for a 2 months).

Ingredients
1 pound butter or margarine
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 ginger root, 1/4" slices
3 cardamon pods crushed
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

Directions
1. Melt the butter or margarine over low heat in a small saucepan
2. Add all other ingredients and simmer on very low heat for 1 hour
3. Strain the clear liquid through cheesecloth and discard the solids
4. Store in an air tight container