My First Kefir Encounter

I heard of Kefir from an unlikely source: a dog foodie group that I belong to. Yes, they exist and are thriving. When I got my first puppy a decade back (seems like yesterday!), I was all into finding the best nutrition, the best training methodology, the best lawn and home products that would inflict the least adverse effect on him. Nothing but the best. Crazy (I’d prefer the term “committed”) pet parents will relate to this. Others, feel free to raise your eyebrows and shake your heads.

Anyway, this pet raw feeders group was big into home-made kefir. They made kefir to feed their pets to keep their digestive systems in top shape. Of course, I had to jump on the bandwagon! I visited one of the members to pick up kefir grains and to get a crash course on how to make it. After the first 2 weeks, all of us – humans and dog – were hooked onto this. Fast-forward 9 years, and here I am writing the recipe for a drink that has become a main-stay in our home.

And…How is it Pronounced?!

It’s a cruel fact: Many of the foods that are potentially good for us also have names seemingly designed to flummox us. Who, among us, did not have the red-in-the-face moment of learning that quinoa wasn’t pronounced “kee-no-wah”, but “keen-wa”? In the same vein, let’s clear the air on the pronunciation of today’s recipe. Most of us say KEY-fur or KEFF-er. The correct pronunciation is keh-FEAR, or if you are familiar with Wiki’s pronunciation respelling key, then it is kə-FEER.

Non-Dairy Kefir

Kefir grains will also ferment milk substitutes such as soy milk, rice milk, and coconut milk, as well as other sugary liquids including fruit juice, coconut water, beer wort, and ginger beer. However, the kefir grains may cease growing if the medium used does not contain all the growth factors required by the bacteria. Because of the fermentation, very little lactose remains in kefir. Most people with lactose intolerance are said to tolerate kefir, provided the fermentation has proceeded for adequate time. It has also been shown that fermented milk products have a slower transit time than milk, which may further improve lactose digestion.

Where to Procure Kefir Grains?

1. Ask Friends and Neighbors:

2. Join a Yahoo Kefir Group:

3. Check Local Co-ops:

4. Online Purchase:

Frozen kefir grains ready to be woken up

Tips to Maintain Kefir Grains:

• These grains are ALIVE, so treat them like you’d treat a living creature. Ha! Did I scare you off? What this means is that the kefir grains need to feed regularly – on milk. If you have enough kefir to last you for a while, you can place the grains in milk and immediately refrigerate it. This will slow down the fermentation process and your grains will be happy for a couple of weeks.
• Never use a corrosive metal to handle the grains. I guarantee you that they will perish! Use a plastic or wooden spoon (or even your clean fingers) to handle them.
• Always use a glass bottle to ferment the milk and grains. It is cleaner, for one. For another, you can SEE how the fermentation is progressing.
• When you have too many grains, you can eat them (they are quite tasty) or rinse them in filtered water and freeze them. To do this, place them in a small glass or plastic container, fill with filtered water to cover to the top, close the lid tight and freeze. You can wake up the grains later by thawing them out in half a cup of milk.
• If the milk ferments too much, and is too sour, don’t throw it out. Feed it to your pets, or add it to any dish that needs sour buttermilk. Look up the Recipe Notes below for creative ideas to use kefir.
• Unlike home-made yogurt, there is no need to heat/boil the milk to make kefir. You can use the milk straight out of the fridge. Now, I call that easy!
• If you want to stop making kefir for a few days, store it in a glass bottle with milk. If you want to stop making it for a longer time, freeze it. Read instructions in the recipe section.

Kefir Recipes

Almost all recipes that call for yogurt or buttermilk can use kefir! So, you can alternate between the two and get the best of both worlds.

• • Spicy Buttermilk Soup
  • Mooli (Daikon Radish) Raita
  • Raw Plantain with Yogurt Curry
  • Chilled Cucumber Dill Soup
  • Tomato Onion Tadka Raita
  • Cracked Wheat Veggie Idli
  • Soft Kefir-Quinoa-Rawa Idli
  • Raw Banana (Plantain) Raita
  • Masala Majjige | Spiced Buttermilk | Chaas

Other Healthy Drinks

If you love probiotic drinks and homemade smoothies, check out our recipes:

• Probiotic Kombucha
• Banana Avocado Smoothie
• DIY Almond Milk
• Kaanji – a Fermented Drink
• Romaine Ginger Smoothie
• Refreshing Watermelon Mint Ginger Smoothie
• Spiced Mulled Wine

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5 from 1 vote

Easy Home-made Kefir

One big draw to kefir is the probiotics, live microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast that aid digestion. Also, like yogurt, kefir is packed with protein. This is an easy-to-make and healthy drink. Try it out for yourself.

Course Drinks

Cuisine Eastern European, International

Keyword digestion, fermented, fermented food, gut, gut health, kefir, lactose, Milk, probiotic, probiotics, raw milk, water kefir

Special Diet Gluten Free, Grain Free, No Added Sugar, Nut Free, Raw, Vegetarian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Fermentation Time 1 day

Total Time 1 day 5 minutes

Servings 2 People

Calories 150kcal

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Whole Milk - Preferably raw milk; grass-fed pasteurized will work too. Avoid using ultra-pasteurized or UHT milk.
• 1 Tablespoon Kefir Grains - Read blog article on where to procure kefir grains

Instructions

• Add kefir grains to a clean pint sized glass jar. Make sure you do not use metal jars. Glass works best.
  
• Pour 2 cups of milk into the jar. Make sure you have about 1 inch room left on top since fermentation will increase the volume. Mix kefir grains into the milk using a non-metal spoon. This is important - use only wooden or plastic spoons. Wooden chopsticks work too!
  
• Cover the bottle with a breathable fabric or paper towel, secure it with a tie or a rubber-band, and let it sit in a warm, dark corner for 24 hours. If you can remember, give the mixture a gentle stir (using non-metal only), although it is not necessary. If you are using less milk, or more grains, or if the temperature in your home is higher, the fermentation may happen quicker.

  Ready yourself with the following: a glass or stainless container to gather the fermented kefir, a plastic colander, a plastic or wooden spoon to stir.
  
• Check taste after 12-18 hours and decide if the time is right to harvest the kefir. The grains should look puffy and the milk may separate from the water content. You can leave the milk outside for as long as 72 hours, if you want it sour. If the fermentation is happening too rapidly, you can refrigerate the bottle to slow down the process, especially if you don't have time to filter it right away.
  
• When ready, place a non-metal colander (I use a plastic one from Walmart) over a dish, and pour the contents of the bottle steadily into the colander while gently coaxing the grains to release the kefir.
  
• Add the strained kefir grains to another clean glass bottle, add 2 cups of milk and the next batch of kefir is on its way! The kefir grains can rest in your refrigerator for several days if you cover it up with enough milk for the grains to feed. If you want to stop making kefir for a few weeks, freeze the grains in a bottle filled with filtered water.
  
• Drink it plain or flavored (with honey, saffron strands, few drops of pure vanilla, cinnamon or nutmeg powder sprinkles), make a smoothie out of it, or use it anywhere you'd use buttermilk or yogurt like raita
  

Notes

Adding milk kefir grains (MKG) to fresh milk yields a delicious probiotic drink in about 24 hours. Milk kefir can be enjoyed plain, flavored (with honey, saffron strands, few drops of pure vanilla, cinnamon or nutmeg powder sprinkles), or used in many recipes, from salad dressings to ice cream. Kefir can be used to make a sourdough bread. It is also useful as a buttermilk substitute in baking. Kefir may be used in place of milk on cereal, granola or milkshakes.

*Use organic ingredients wherever possible

 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Easy Home-made Kefir

Amount per Serving

Calories

150

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

8

g

12

%

Cholesterol

 

32

mg

11

%

Sodium

 

113

mg

5

%

Potassium

 

380

mg

11

%

Carbohydrates

 

11

g

4

%

Fiber

 

0

g

0

%

Sugar

 

11

g

12

%

Protein

 

9

g

18

%

Vitamin A

 

300

IU

6

%

Vitamin C

 

1.7

mg

2

%

Calcium

 

260

mg

26

%

Iron

 

0.2

mg

1

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.