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?

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece pork broth cube (

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Batwan

Ilonggos know batwan or batuan by heart as the fruit is almost endemic to the Western Visayas. Its scientific name is Garcinia binucao, derived from the Tagalog name for the fruit, binukaw. It is a large green fruit with large seeds and its a favorite souring ingredient in most Ilonggo dishes especially KBL or kadyos, baboy, langka and the Ilonggo-style paksiw known as "pinamalhan". It is characterized by a tamed sourness compared to tamarind and kamias . The fruit is sold by pieces or kilo in wet markets and even big grocery stores. Batwan is the preferred souring ingredients for the Ilonggo favorite- KBL. The photo shows boiled batwan with skin and without skin (right) A favorite riddle when we were young - "Among the many fruits in the forest, but one (batuan) is the best. What is it?"

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.

A native (foods) welcome in Guimaras

Even after having breakfast less than an hour that time, we couldn't say no to this lot of native delciacies that welcomed us in Guimaras. First and foremost, Guimaras best known produce is their sweet mango famous almost worldwide. And it comes with it's best partner, ibos. This brown baye-baye variety is made from toasted rice thus giving it a more disctinct flavour compared to it's more "caucasian" cousin. I like the one wrapped in banana leaves compared with the one in plastic for it gives it a more native feel. So when you're in Guimaras, be sure to check out the markets for these native delicacies that can make your trip more gastronomically satisfying.

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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