Kefir making at home

I've been making kefir at home for the past few months, thanks to the kefir grains I got from Mr Eugene Jamerlan. And I've been consuming kefir almost daily- first thing every morning. Unlike yogurt or Yakult we buy in groceries which are more "ready to drink', home made kefir takes sometime in getting used to. You get the real taste of fermented milk in every drop.

Kefir is a fermented milk drink made with kefir grains and is believed to have its origins in the Caucasus Mountains. It is prepared by inoculating cow, goat, or sheep milk with kefir grains. Traditional kefir was made in skin bags that were hung near a doorway; the bag would be knocked by anyone passing through the doorway to help keep the milk and kefir grains well mixed.

The process is very simple - just add the kefir grains to liquid milk of choice (I tried many brands and finally settled with Alaska), let it stay around 24 hours and "harvest" it (just strain the grains) to have your daily supply of kefir.

Kefir grains

You'd know its the right and ripe time for "harvest" when you see a build up on top of the milk. Regular liquid milk turns into kefir depending on the amount of milk, kefir grains, time, temperature and other factors. Don't fret if you don't make a perfect kefir on your first try since kefir making is a constant experiment until you make one that is almost perfect. For me the almost perfect kefir has a somewhat thick consistency (placing kefir in the fridge creates this consistency), sour aroma and milky-sour taste. Don't expect it to be like yogurt you buy in groceries.

But sometimes, I get the wrong ratio of milk and kefir grains or lengthen the fermentation time to more than 24 hours so the curds get separated from the whey. One time I experimented on another milk and even in just 10 hours the separation occurred and the milk had the consistency of gelatin. Sometimes putting too many grains speeds up the fermentation that it makes the kefir more sour.

Curds are the white portions on top while the whey is the semi clear liquid at the bottom

If I make near pefect kefir, I'd set them aside for my "plain and original" kefir morning drink. If I make less than perfect, thats when I make kefir smoothie like this mango-honey kefir. Bananas also are perfect for kefir as blend.

But the separation of the curds and whey are not really bad for it paves way for another kefir products - soft cheese! I've had my shard of kefir cheese but they are not a perfect as what Sir Eugene made. i don't know how many liters of milk he used and how many days he let the milk ferment - all I know is how the cheese tasted good. It still has the distinct kefir taste and smell but in almost solid form.

That in turn was perfect for bagels with freshly cracked pepper corns and chives.

And my favorite - on galletas with honey and blueberry balsamic vinegar reduction.

Now who ate my kefir cheese?

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