自從搬來英國住以後, 閒時會自己弄些醃菜, 冬菜, 雪菜都試過. 主要因為唐人街裡賣的, 份量太多之餘, 一般都是中國製的, 我實在沒有信心食! 最近由於開始自己做 kefir (克菲爾), 那些 kefir 種快高長大, 我把它們分了又分, 分了出來的掉了又覺得可惜, 在 Google 上找到原來做 kefir 芝士十分簡單. 只需讓 kefir 種把牛奶發酵多一兩天, 然後把發酵好的 kefir 倒進一個承載著 cheese-cloth (當然我又用煲湯袋, 哈哈) 的瓶子裡, 讓乳清 (whey) 慢慢滴出來。由它滴幾個小時或過夜, 剩在煲湯袋上的就是 kefir 芝士。
以前到瑞士旅行時曾經喝過一種名為 Rivella 的汽水。 這種瑞士汽水正是用乳清做的, 瑞士出產那麼多芝士, 也難怪他們會想出這個「廢物利用」的好方法! 既然汽水也能做, 我想還有其他方法去利用乳清. Google 上找一找, 原來乳清用途廣泛, 可以用來醃菜, 德國的鹹酸菜 (sauerkraut) 和韓國泡菜 (kimchi) 都能用乳清醃。我當然又急不及待要試試看! 用乳清來醃菜的好處是不用放太多鹽 (不放也可), 而且 kefir 乳清裡有很多益生菌, 所以醃出來的菜也有益生菌, 對腸道健康十分有益。 幾天前買了有機椰菜, 切絲後把它放進一個大碗子裡, 用手捏至有水分出來為止. 放了一點點鹽以後就倒進乳清, 混和後倒進一個玻璃瓶子, 不用幾天鹹酸菜就大功告成, 可以放進雪櫃裡。有空去買些德國香腸回家弄時就會開這瓶鹹酸菜來試試啊!
以前到瑞士旅行時曾經喝過一種名為 Rivella 的汽水。 這種瑞士汽水正是用乳清做的, 瑞士出產那麼多芝士, 也難怪他們會想出這個「廢物利用」的好方法! 既然汽水也能做, 我想還有其他方法去利用乳清. Google 上找一找, 原來乳清用途廣泛, 可以用來醃菜, 德國的鹹酸菜 (sauerkraut) 和韓國泡菜 (kimchi) 都能用乳清醃。我當然又急不及待要試試看! 用乳清來醃菜的好處是不用放太多鹽 (不放也可), 而且 kefir 乳清裡有很多益生菌, 所以醃出來的菜也有益生菌, 對腸道健康十分有益。 幾天前買了有機椰菜, 切絲後把它放進一個大碗子裡, 用手捏至有水分出來為止. 放了一點點鹽以後就倒進乳清, 混和後倒進一個玻璃瓶子, 不用幾天鹹酸菜就大功告成, 可以放進雪櫃裡。有空去買些德國香腸回家弄時就會開這瓶鹹酸菜來試試啊!
I have been making kefir for two/three months now from kefir grains. The "problem" I have is that the grains just grow like crazy! When I first started making kefir, there were little bits of grains that would come off the main cauliflower-like lump, and I would just throw those little bits away. But over time, the lump has grown to a respectable size and it was fermenting the milk far too quickly, making a not-so-tasty kefir. So I decided to divide the big lump carefully into two little lumps. I wondered what I could do with the spare, and trusty Google search points to kefir cheese. Rather than leaving the milk to ferment for 24 hours, I leave to ferment for a further 24 hours till a layer of whey and a layer of curd is formed. Then it is a matter of straining it through a piece of cheesecloth and voila, kefir cheese is made! While the fresh kefir cheese tastes wonderful, it leaves me with another question - is there a use for the leftover whey? In previous trips to Switzerland, I remember having a drink called Rivella. Rivella is pretty much a national drink there, a soft drink of sorts which is made from whey. This is not surprising given how much cheese the country produces! They must have tonnes of the stuff!
So I thought, if a drink can be made from whey, surely it must have other uses? Kefir experts use whey in all sorts of ways, for example, adding it to sauces, making smoothies, making fruity soft drinks, but what catches my eyes is sauerkraut. I have tried pickling before, and quite like the idea of homemade sauerkraut. Using whey to ferment vegetables is called lacto-fermentation, this method is ideal for those who wants to watch out on their salt intake (as very little or no salt is necessary). Lactic acid and the friendly bacteria lactobacillus kickstart the fermentation process pretty swiftly, so while a salt fermentation takes a few weeks, lacto-fermentation only takes days! I think my kefirkraut now only needs another day or so (it's only been fermenting in a cupboard for 3 days) and it will be ready to go into the fridge. Can't wait to try the kefirkraut with some bratwursts!
So I thought, if a drink can be made from whey, surely it must have other uses? Kefir experts use whey in all sorts of ways, for example, adding it to sauces, making smoothies, making fruity soft drinks, but what catches my eyes is sauerkraut. I have tried pickling before, and quite like the idea of homemade sauerkraut. Using whey to ferment vegetables is called lacto-fermentation, this method is ideal for those who wants to watch out on their salt intake (as very little or no salt is necessary). Lactic acid and the friendly bacteria lactobacillus kickstart the fermentation process pretty swiftly, so while a salt fermentation takes a few weeks, lacto-fermentation only takes days! I think my kefirkraut now only needs another day or so (it's only been fermenting in a cupboard for 3 days) and it will be ready to go into the fridge. Can't wait to try the kefirkraut with some bratwursts!