數月前曾提及自己在家裡做克菲爾(kefir)這種充滿益生菌的健康飲品。這篇網誌登出以後,時常有朋友問及關於克菲爾的事宜。最近有位住在香港的好友托來倫敦旅遊的姊姊把筆者多餘的克菲爾種帶回香港,好友在收到克菲爾種後不斷問了無數問題,差點被她氣死,但想想與其與她一問一答,倒不如在這裡再與大家分享做克菲爾的經驗。
筆者用來做克菲爾的是奶克菲爾種 (milk kefir grains),顧名思義製造這種克菲爾需要奶類。從網上搜索得悉,除了牛奶,也可以用羊奶,甚至連椰奶也可以。用什麼奶類不打緊,最重要是該種奶類中含有乳糖 (lactose), 因為克菲爾種就是靠乳糖來生存。據說如轉用不同的奶類,克菲爾種會慢慢適應,但盡量不要好像做科學實驗般從牛奶轉羊奶,然後又從羊奶又轉回牛奶,這樣做克菲爾種可能會吃不消而死掉。雖然沒有試過轉用其他奶類來做克菲爾,但英國的超市裡賣的牛奶種類也多不勝數,全脂、半脂、1% 脂肪、低脂、有機,以上的牛奶都適合做克菲爾,筆者差不多全都試過。總括來説,含脂肪量越高,做出來的克菲爾濃度便越高。多數用家不贊成用受過高溫處理的長壽奶 (UHT milk),因為這種奶缺乏發酵過程需要的酵素,或會慢慢地把克菲爾種弄死。有用家説用未經巴氏消毒 (pasteurisation) 的原始牛奶 (raw milk) 效果最佳,可是這種牛奶在英國也不好找,暫且無緣一試。
最初從網上健康食品店購入克菲爾種時,賣家是用了一個食品專用的小膠袋把種和少許牛奶載著,用平郵寄來的。收到後立刻把它放進已用沸水消毒的玻璃瓶子,倒入大概200毫升新鮮牛奶,然後用個煲湯袋蓋著,因為發酵過程會產生少量二氧化碳。最初的一兩天,克菲爾種尚未習慣新環境,雖然每天替換鮮奶但好像沒有什麼動靜。克菲爾用家都提示在製作克菲爾時要注意不要用任何鐵製瓶子,匙羹等,所以每天用膠匙羹攪拌一下牛奶,到了第三天才成功發酵成第一杯克菲爾。把克菲爾倒進杯子時最好用匙羹或篩子把克菲爾種取出,然後瓶子也不用洗,把種放回瓶子裡,直接倒進鮮奶,把瓶子放在陰涼處,如是者每天重複步驟,便天天都有新鮮的克菲爾喝。過了數星期,克菲爾種會逐漸長大,喜歡的話可以增加牛奶的份量,或可以用匙羹將種分開,分出來的用不著便扔掉。
好友最初收到筆者送的克菲爾種,也是跟著上述方法來做,可是過了兩天她說牛奶沒有變成克菲爾,而是變壞了。八月份的香港天氣一直酷熱,除非家裡是冷氣長開,否則近三十度高溫並不適合做克菲爾。室溫過高,克菲爾種還未及發揮其功效把牛奶發酵,牛奶已因放在高溫下而變壞。最理想的室溫是二十度左右,七月份時倫敦也曾熱了好一會,當室溫達二十六度克菲爾種便瘋狂發酵,用極速將牛奶發酵成克菲爾。或許會有人問,不用慢慢等它一天才製成,這不是更好嗎?所謂慢工出細貨,克菲爾亦如是,相對用上一天製成的克菲爾,只是花了十小時便製成的克菲爾實在難喝得很,酸得令人眼淚直流。所以,做克菲爾沒有捷徑,只能提供一個理想環境讓它慢慢把牛奶發酵。筆者建議好友試試把載著克菲爾種和牛奶的瓶子蓋好,然後放進雪櫃。在雪櫃裡,克菲爾種會進入「睡眠狀態」,把發酵時間大大延長。雖然發酵時間延長了,但最好仍是每一兩天拿出來把瓶蓋打開,和用匙羹攪拌一下去斷定牛奶是否已經變成克菲爾。如要去旅行,也可以用這個方法去保存克菲爾種,但最好是讓瓶子的蓋打開一點點較好,這樣在雪櫃裡保存大概兩個星期都沒有問題。
那麼好友又問,怎樣才知克菲爾已經製成呢?用一個很簡單的比喻,如果牛奶的濃度像清湯,那麼克菲爾的濃度就是像羹一樣。而味道嘛,應該有點微酸,就像原味奶酪那樣。好友耐心地每天拿瓶子出來觀察情況,過了差不多一星期,她興奮地告知第一杯克菲爾大功告成。另一位友人最近在香港的超市裡看到有現成的克菲爾出售便買來試試。她認為克菲爾味道像中國北方的酸奶,其實兩者可能是類似的東西。據說克菲爾源於現時的土耳其、亞美尼亞等國的高嘉索山脈 (Caucasus Mountains), 說不定它給古人從絲綢之路傳到中國來呢。可是現成克菲爾價錢絕不便宜,而且把這東西商業化,生產商可能添加了穩定劑和果糖等,所以還是自家製,無添加的克菲爾既便宜,又好喝。如不適應克菲爾的味道,可把草莓或香蕉等水果和克菲爾用攪拌機拌成像冰沙的飲品。
現代人生活節奏緊逼,每天在外用餐已吃進大量垃圾食品,加上有點小毛病如傷風咳嗽便毫不猶疑地把抗生素倒進口裡,這樣做把腸道內的益菌殺得片甲不留。補充益生菌令腸道健康,對一些腸道問題如腹瀉,便秘,腸易激綜合症 (irritable bowel disease) 也會有所改善。除了益生菌,克菲爾內還含不少維他命和礦物質如維他命B、K,葉酸,鉀,鎂等等,開始喝克菲爾後,就連以前拼命吃的維他命都沒有再碰,覺得還是天然的東西比化學製成品優勝。有位居住在澳洲的克菲爾達人建了個有關克菲爾資訊的網站,讀者有空不妨看看。
乾杯!
筆者用來做克菲爾的是奶克菲爾種 (milk kefir grains),顧名思義製造這種克菲爾需要奶類。從網上搜索得悉,除了牛奶,也可以用羊奶,甚至連椰奶也可以。用什麼奶類不打緊,最重要是該種奶類中含有乳糖 (lactose), 因為克菲爾種就是靠乳糖來生存。據說如轉用不同的奶類,克菲爾種會慢慢適應,但盡量不要好像做科學實驗般從牛奶轉羊奶,然後又從羊奶又轉回牛奶,這樣做克菲爾種可能會吃不消而死掉。雖然沒有試過轉用其他奶類來做克菲爾,但英國的超市裡賣的牛奶種類也多不勝數,全脂、半脂、1% 脂肪、低脂、有機,以上的牛奶都適合做克菲爾,筆者差不多全都試過。總括來説,含脂肪量越高,做出來的克菲爾濃度便越高。多數用家不贊成用受過高溫處理的長壽奶 (UHT milk),因為這種奶缺乏發酵過程需要的酵素,或會慢慢地把克菲爾種弄死。有用家説用未經巴氏消毒 (pasteurisation) 的原始牛奶 (raw milk) 效果最佳,可是這種牛奶在英國也不好找,暫且無緣一試。
最初從網上健康食品店購入克菲爾種時,賣家是用了一個食品專用的小膠袋把種和少許牛奶載著,用平郵寄來的。收到後立刻把它放進已用沸水消毒的玻璃瓶子,倒入大概200毫升新鮮牛奶,然後用個煲湯袋蓋著,因為發酵過程會產生少量二氧化碳。最初的一兩天,克菲爾種尚未習慣新環境,雖然每天替換鮮奶但好像沒有什麼動靜。克菲爾用家都提示在製作克菲爾時要注意不要用任何鐵製瓶子,匙羹等,所以每天用膠匙羹攪拌一下牛奶,到了第三天才成功發酵成第一杯克菲爾。把克菲爾倒進杯子時最好用匙羹或篩子把克菲爾種取出,然後瓶子也不用洗,把種放回瓶子裡,直接倒進鮮奶,把瓶子放在陰涼處,如是者每天重複步驟,便天天都有新鮮的克菲爾喝。過了數星期,克菲爾種會逐漸長大,喜歡的話可以增加牛奶的份量,或可以用匙羹將種分開,分出來的用不著便扔掉。
好友最初收到筆者送的克菲爾種,也是跟著上述方法來做,可是過了兩天她說牛奶沒有變成克菲爾,而是變壞了。八月份的香港天氣一直酷熱,除非家裡是冷氣長開,否則近三十度高溫並不適合做克菲爾。室溫過高,克菲爾種還未及發揮其功效把牛奶發酵,牛奶已因放在高溫下而變壞。最理想的室溫是二十度左右,七月份時倫敦也曾熱了好一會,當室溫達二十六度克菲爾種便瘋狂發酵,用極速將牛奶發酵成克菲爾。或許會有人問,不用慢慢等它一天才製成,這不是更好嗎?所謂慢工出細貨,克菲爾亦如是,相對用上一天製成的克菲爾,只是花了十小時便製成的克菲爾實在難喝得很,酸得令人眼淚直流。所以,做克菲爾沒有捷徑,只能提供一個理想環境讓它慢慢把牛奶發酵。筆者建議好友試試把載著克菲爾種和牛奶的瓶子蓋好,然後放進雪櫃。在雪櫃裡,克菲爾種會進入「睡眠狀態」,把發酵時間大大延長。雖然發酵時間延長了,但最好仍是每一兩天拿出來把瓶蓋打開,和用匙羹攪拌一下去斷定牛奶是否已經變成克菲爾。如要去旅行,也可以用這個方法去保存克菲爾種,但最好是讓瓶子的蓋打開一點點較好,這樣在雪櫃裡保存大概兩個星期都沒有問題。
那麼好友又問,怎樣才知克菲爾已經製成呢?用一個很簡單的比喻,如果牛奶的濃度像清湯,那麼克菲爾的濃度就是像羹一樣。而味道嘛,應該有點微酸,就像原味奶酪那樣。好友耐心地每天拿瓶子出來觀察情況,過了差不多一星期,她興奮地告知第一杯克菲爾大功告成。另一位友人最近在香港的超市裡看到有現成的克菲爾出售便買來試試。她認為克菲爾味道像中國北方的酸奶,其實兩者可能是類似的東西。據說克菲爾源於現時的土耳其、亞美尼亞等國的高嘉索山脈 (Caucasus Mountains), 說不定它給古人從絲綢之路傳到中國來呢。可是現成克菲爾價錢絕不便宜,而且把這東西商業化,生產商可能添加了穩定劑和果糖等,所以還是自家製,無添加的克菲爾既便宜,又好喝。如不適應克菲爾的味道,可把草莓或香蕉等水果和克菲爾用攪拌機拌成像冰沙的飲品。
現代人生活節奏緊逼,每天在外用餐已吃進大量垃圾食品,加上有點小毛病如傷風咳嗽便毫不猶疑地把抗生素倒進口裡,這樣做把腸道內的益菌殺得片甲不留。補充益生菌令腸道健康,對一些腸道問題如腹瀉,便秘,腸易激綜合症 (irritable bowel disease) 也會有所改善。除了益生菌,克菲爾內還含不少維他命和礦物質如維他命B、K,葉酸,鉀,鎂等等,開始喝克菲爾後,就連以前拼命吃的維他命都沒有再碰,覺得還是天然的東西比化學製成品優勝。有位居住在澳洲的克菲爾達人建了個有關克菲爾資訊的網站,讀者有空不妨看看。
乾杯!
A few months back I wrote a blogpost on kefir, since then every now and then friends ask me about kefir. Recently a close friend got her sister who was visiting London to take some of my spare kefir grains back to Hong Kong, and she has been bombarding me with questions, so I thought, rather than just doing one on one questions and answers, perhaps I could share my experiences in another blogpost.
The grains I use to make kefir are milk kefir grains. As the name suggests, this type of kefir grains are fed on milk. A quick google search on kefir tells me that people use all sorts of milk, from cows' milk, goats' milk to even coconut milk. It doesn't really matter which type of milk is used, as long as there is lactose in the milk as it is lactose which the grains thrive on. I have only used cows' milk to make kefir, but in the UK there is a plethora of cows' milk available in supermarkets - full fat, semi-skimmed, 1% fat, skimmed, organic etc, they are all suitable for making kefir (and I have pretty much tried them all). The only difference is consistency, the higher the fat content in the milk, the thicker the kefir turns out. Most users are against using UHT milk as it is highly processed and lacks the enzymes for kefir grains to kickstart the fermentation process, and this would slowly kill the grains. Some say that the results from using raw milk is superior, but in England it is not easy to get hold of the stuff (I have seen it once or twice in farmers' markets in London) so I can't comment on that.
When I first bought the grains from the online health food shop, the grains were put in a food-grade plastic bag with a little milk and sent by standard mail. After receiving the grains, they were put in a sterilised glass jar straight away with about 200ml of fresh milk, then the jar was covered in muslin cloth as the fermentation produces a small amount of CO2. Nothing much happened in the first two days as the grains needed time to adjust to the new environment and recover from the journey. I changed milk daily regardless and stirred it daily with a plastic spoon (as all users suggest, no metals should be in contact with the grains so I don't dare to even take the chance with stainless steel), and by day three the grains finally "woke" up and fermented the milk into the very first cup of kefir. When pouring kefir from jar to cup, it is best to spoon or sieve out the grains first. There is absolutely no need to "wash" or rinse the grains, nor the jar, just put the grains back to the jar and add fresh milk to repeat the process. If you think about it, why would you want to wash all the good bacteria that is stuck inside the jar for they help to kickstart the next batch!
My friend followed my advice, but after a couple of days, she told me that the milk didn't turn into kefir, but went off instead. Well, it is stinking hot in Hong Kong in August where the temperature is constantly around 30C, unless air-conditioning is at full blast at all time (not great for the environment), it is simply too hot to make kefir. The ideal temperature for making kefir is around 20C, back in July there were weeks where it was rather warm in London and I noticed that once the mercury hit about 26C, the grains just went into overdrive and fermented the milk in no time. Some might ask, isn't speeding up the process better? Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts in making kefir, a very fast fermentation (of let's say 10 hours compared to 24) produces kefir that is pretty disgusting, a taste so sour no one would probably want to drink. A slow and steady fermentation (of around 24 hours) is most ideal. However, given the prolonged hot weather in Hong Kong, I suggested that my friend put the jar (with lid closed) into the fridge, only taking it out once a day to open the jar to release any gas trapped and give it a stir. Once in the fridge, the grains tend to go into "hibernation" and the fermentation slows down dramatically. Even if one wants to take a break from making kefir (eg. going on holidays), the same method can be applied to keep the grains in good condition, but perhaps leave the jar lid opened a little in case the whole thing explodes due to too much gas!e
My friend then asked, so how do you know when the kefir is ready to drink? It is ready when after stirring, the liquid coats the back of the spoon, and it resembles the consistency of pouring yoghurt. In regards to the taste, it should have a slight tart taste, not dissimilar to plain yoghurt. After almost a week, my friend proudly told me that she had successfully made her very first cup of kefir. Another friend in Hong Kong, after hearing the benefits of kefir, saw some commercially made ones in the supermarket and bought one to try. She reckons the taste is very close to a traditional drink called soured milk found in northern China. Kefir has its origins in the Cacasus Mountains in the area of modern day Turkey and Armenia etc. I wouldn't be at all surprised if merchants or nomads in the olden days brought kefir to China through the Silk Road. Commercially produced kefir are not the cheapest drink around, and I guess perhaps in commercial mass production, possibly stabilisers and fructose are added to the final product. So in this sense homemade ones are definitely better! If one is not used to the tart taste of kefir, try adding berries or a banana in a blender with kefir to make a delicious smoothie.
City dwellers these days all have super fast-paced lifestyles and everyday when we eat out we are consuming a lot of rubbish food. In addition, as soon as we have the first sign of a sniffle, we head to the medicine cupboard and down quick fixes like antibiotics. All these kill good bacteria in our guts. By drinking kefir, we are promoting healthy flora in the guts and in turn it helps in lessening many intestinal complaints like diarrhoea, constipation and irritable bowel syndrome. In addition to good bacteria, kefir is also chockablock full of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B, K, folic acid, potassium and magnesium etc. Since I started drinking kefir regularly, I haven't touched the many vitamins I used to religiously take. After all natural is the best. A kefir guru has a very comprehensive website on anything to do with kefir, do have a look when you have time.
Cheers!
The grains I use to make kefir are milk kefir grains. As the name suggests, this type of kefir grains are fed on milk. A quick google search on kefir tells me that people use all sorts of milk, from cows' milk, goats' milk to even coconut milk. It doesn't really matter which type of milk is used, as long as there is lactose in the milk as it is lactose which the grains thrive on. I have only used cows' milk to make kefir, but in the UK there is a plethora of cows' milk available in supermarkets - full fat, semi-skimmed, 1% fat, skimmed, organic etc, they are all suitable for making kefir (and I have pretty much tried them all). The only difference is consistency, the higher the fat content in the milk, the thicker the kefir turns out. Most users are against using UHT milk as it is highly processed and lacks the enzymes for kefir grains to kickstart the fermentation process, and this would slowly kill the grains. Some say that the results from using raw milk is superior, but in England it is not easy to get hold of the stuff (I have seen it once or twice in farmers' markets in London) so I can't comment on that.
When I first bought the grains from the online health food shop, the grains were put in a food-grade plastic bag with a little milk and sent by standard mail. After receiving the grains, they were put in a sterilised glass jar straight away with about 200ml of fresh milk, then the jar was covered in muslin cloth as the fermentation produces a small amount of CO2. Nothing much happened in the first two days as the grains needed time to adjust to the new environment and recover from the journey. I changed milk daily regardless and stirred it daily with a plastic spoon (as all users suggest, no metals should be in contact with the grains so I don't dare to even take the chance with stainless steel), and by day three the grains finally "woke" up and fermented the milk into the very first cup of kefir. When pouring kefir from jar to cup, it is best to spoon or sieve out the grains first. There is absolutely no need to "wash" or rinse the grains, nor the jar, just put the grains back to the jar and add fresh milk to repeat the process. If you think about it, why would you want to wash all the good bacteria that is stuck inside the jar for they help to kickstart the next batch!
My friend followed my advice, but after a couple of days, she told me that the milk didn't turn into kefir, but went off instead. Well, it is stinking hot in Hong Kong in August where the temperature is constantly around 30C, unless air-conditioning is at full blast at all time (not great for the environment), it is simply too hot to make kefir. The ideal temperature for making kefir is around 20C, back in July there were weeks where it was rather warm in London and I noticed that once the mercury hit about 26C, the grains just went into overdrive and fermented the milk in no time. Some might ask, isn't speeding up the process better? Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts in making kefir, a very fast fermentation (of let's say 10 hours compared to 24) produces kefir that is pretty disgusting, a taste so sour no one would probably want to drink. A slow and steady fermentation (of around 24 hours) is most ideal. However, given the prolonged hot weather in Hong Kong, I suggested that my friend put the jar (with lid closed) into the fridge, only taking it out once a day to open the jar to release any gas trapped and give it a stir. Once in the fridge, the grains tend to go into "hibernation" and the fermentation slows down dramatically. Even if one wants to take a break from making kefir (eg. going on holidays), the same method can be applied to keep the grains in good condition, but perhaps leave the jar lid opened a little in case the whole thing explodes due to too much gas!e
My friend then asked, so how do you know when the kefir is ready to drink? It is ready when after stirring, the liquid coats the back of the spoon, and it resembles the consistency of pouring yoghurt. In regards to the taste, it should have a slight tart taste, not dissimilar to plain yoghurt. After almost a week, my friend proudly told me that she had successfully made her very first cup of kefir. Another friend in Hong Kong, after hearing the benefits of kefir, saw some commercially made ones in the supermarket and bought one to try. She reckons the taste is very close to a traditional drink called soured milk found in northern China. Kefir has its origins in the Cacasus Mountains in the area of modern day Turkey and Armenia etc. I wouldn't be at all surprised if merchants or nomads in the olden days brought kefir to China through the Silk Road. Commercially produced kefir are not the cheapest drink around, and I guess perhaps in commercial mass production, possibly stabilisers and fructose are added to the final product. So in this sense homemade ones are definitely better! If one is not used to the tart taste of kefir, try adding berries or a banana in a blender with kefir to make a delicious smoothie.
City dwellers these days all have super fast-paced lifestyles and everyday when we eat out we are consuming a lot of rubbish food. In addition, as soon as we have the first sign of a sniffle, we head to the medicine cupboard and down quick fixes like antibiotics. All these kill good bacteria in our guts. By drinking kefir, we are promoting healthy flora in the guts and in turn it helps in lessening many intestinal complaints like diarrhoea, constipation and irritable bowel syndrome. In addition to good bacteria, kefir is also chockablock full of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B, K, folic acid, potassium and magnesium etc. Since I started drinking kefir regularly, I haven't touched the many vitamins I used to religiously take. After all natural is the best. A kefir guru has a very comprehensive website on anything to do with kefir, do have a look when you have time.
Cheers!