Sep
Equipment:
CODE DESCRIPTION
H230 1L BOTTLE
H108 FLOATING DAIRY THERMOMETER
H10B FLOATING THERMOMETER COVER
H168 CHEESECLOTH
Ingredients:
H074 KEFIR 1 BAG
HU02 STINGING NETTLE
MAKING KEFIR
Before starting to make cheese, one must make the Kefir. One silver packet Kefir granules makes one litre of Kefir. Kefir consists of bacteria that produce lactic acid from lactose when they come in contact with milk.
Buy 1 litre UHT milk or heat 1 liter milk to 95°C and cool to 20°C . Place a thermometer in boiling water to sterilize it. Test the temperature of the milk. Make sure the temperature of the milk is between 19 and 22°C. Do not contaminate the milk with any unsterilized items. Cut open one corner of one packet of Kefir and add the contents to the milk. Close the UHT milk packet or bottle of milk, shake to mix, and cover with cushions to maintain the temperature at 20°C. Leave the milk to stand at 20°C for 16 – 24 hours. When it is thick like yoghurt, place it in the fridge. When chilled, the Kefir is ready for consumption. A good Kefir milk foams and fizzes a little like beer.
Before using it set aside three tablespoons of the Kefir to add to the next litre of sterilized milk to make your next batch.
MAKING THE CHEESE
One can drain the Kefir in cheesecloth to make Kefir Cheese:
BAG METHOD
Cut cheesecloth to fit your colander.
Carefully ladle the kefir curds into a cheesecloth-lined colander, tie the four corners of the cheesecloth together and hang the Kefir to drain over the sink. Once the Kefir has drained for 1 – 2 days, mix the cheese with some salt and stinging nettle to taste and place in a plastic container and refrigerate. Now you have a super healthy product. One can add other fresh or dried herbs as required.