Coconut Kefir

Coconut is enormously beneficial in and of itself and if you use it to cultivate friendly bacteria for your gut, you get two benefits on one go. 

Coconut may offer a number of benefits, including improved heart health, weight loss, and digestion. Yet, it's high in calories and saturated fat, so you should eat it in moderation. Studies have found that 2 tablespoons (30 ml) seems to be an effective dose. This has been shown to benefit weight, reduce belly fat and improve other health markers. Some studies used up to 2.5 tablespoons (39 grams) per day, depending on calorie intake.

There are several coconut yoghurt varieties available from the shops ready made but making it yourself makes it cheaper and it is also fun! Also, most kefir and yoghurt that are sold in shops need to be treated for unwanted bacteria, so we don't know how much life there is in them. 

I make my coconut ‘yoghurt’ from kefir ‘grains’. Legend tells that Mohammed gave kefir grains to the Orthodox people and taught them how to make kefir. The 'Grains of the Prophet' were guarded jealously since it was believed that they would lose their strength if the grains were given away and the secret of how to use them were to be common knowledge.

Legends are fascinating but here are some facts: 

Kefir is a more powerful probiotic than yogurt and it has potent antibacterial properties. Kefir can improve bone health and lower the risk of osteoporosis and may protect against cancer. Probiotics in it may help with various digestive problems. 

Here is my method:

First you need some kefir grains (not real grains, they just look like ones), I got mine from a friend, who got them from Mecca! I feel privileged to have something holy for my breakfast...

The other equipment you need is a glass jar and a wooden spoon. Do not use anything metal as this kills the grains. And, of course, a steady warm space for the grains to grow nicely: I use the back of my fridge for this.

If you don’t have generous friends, kefir is freely available to buy on internet. They are in their dry form, so you need to give them a long warm bath in the chosen milk to wake them up. Sorry for vegans, the best way to do that and store them later on is in either cow's milk or goat's milk. The vegetarian choices do not fare so well at this stage.

I got gifted a few spoons and I turned them into a larger amount by keeping them in that warm place overnight. After that you can keep them in the milk up to six months in a jar in a fridge and they will stay alive.

When I started with coconut milk, I took some of the grains that I cultivated earlier on, rinsed them to be free of the original milk and added them to hand warm coconut milk and let them grow for 24 hours in the back of my fridge: served well. This changeover may take a bit longer to do as the grains need to adjust to their new host.

Make sure that your jar is big enough and I must warn you, the result can be explosive as seen in the photo, bursting happily out of the jar, full of vital energy. This is a good sign, you have a lot of good and live bacteria there, all this goodness for your gut!  Before you put it in the fridge, mix it well with a wooden spoon as this brings the volume down and your yogurt stores for good many days if needed. Once you have only little left, pour more luke warm coconut milk into the ready kefir and start from the beginning. 

Enjoy with berries for breakfast or make vegetarian raita out of it!