Straight butter isn't a good idea but if you want to get both the flavor of butter and be able to cook at high heat as you would with ghee, use a combo of butter and an oil like safflower specifically labeled high heat.

Very interesting thread. Thank you AJ and pauljoseph.

I'm also with AntoniaJames

I expect that regular butter would burn too. Ghee has a much higher smoke point and stir fry recipes are usually cooked at very high heat.

I'm with AntoniaJames here! The thing about using ghee in a stirfry specifically is that you can get the temperature up really high without it spitting, scorching or burning. That is how ghee works in preparing the base for an Indian curry. If you can't use ghee, I'd go for a ncie neutral oil rather than butter. If the flavour of butter si really important in the reipe you are maing, I'd stll suggest using oil for the stir fry itself and finish it, once off the heat, by stirring a little bit of butter into the preparation, for the flavours and aromas. Good luck!

The ghee would give it a nuttier flavor, but depending on what all you put in the stir fry you may not miss that. You could make your own and store the rest for more stir frys and other dishes:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/ghee-recipe/index.html

Much, much better to use ghee. It's so easy to make, and since you have the regular butter, you should do so. There's a fair bit of water in regular butter that will spit while stir frying, plus the solids will burn, affecting the taste. Also, once you make ghee and start using it, you'll wonder why you never did before. I'm certain there is at least one recipe on food52. As I said, it's so easy. For the record, however, I've found that the ghee available at my local Indian grocery is outstanding, so I've been buying it lately, too, for back-up between homemade batches. When I make my own, I cook it a bit longer to give it nutty brown-butter undertones, which makes everything I use it for taste even better. ;o)