Well, I couldn’t find Kefir grains in Singapore. No health store in Singapore seems to be selling the Kefir grains to make Kefir. Apparently, not everyone thinks that Kefir is very healthy. Most health stores only stock yogurt and yogurt cultures. Heck, even some health stores don’t stock yogurt starters. I guess it could be due to the fact that Singaporeans are just too busy to make yogurt. They would rather just go into a store and get some yogurt to eat. For me, I am a bit more adventurous. I like to make stuff myself. As you know, I make my own yogurt. And I brew my own beer. Now I am going to make myself Kefir. Yes, I have never tasted Kefir before but from what I read on the Internet, a lot of people are saying that not only is it healthy stuff, it tastes great as well. Something like a mix between yogurt and milk with some alcohol in it.

From what basic knowledge I have about Kefir, it is a fermented milk drink made from fermenting milk with the kefir grains. The grains are actually a colony of yeast and cultures (bacteria!) which ferments milk into kefir at room temperature. There are many health benefits to drinking kefir since the bacteria in the grains are good bacteria, something along the lines of the yogurt cultures. Just like yogurt, the bacteria in the Kefir helps digestion and makes the proteins in the kefir more easily digested by the body. It also provides a number of vitamins, calcium, phosphorus and other important stuff to our bodies. Unlike yogurt where the cultures will die in the intestines, the kefir bacteria are able to survive in that environment, helping to promote good health. Kefir is also full of enzymes, which is good for our health as well. Hmmm….looks like this kefir is so sort of health miracle food. I definitely think that drinking kefir in moderate amounts will be benefital to your health.

If you are interested in making kefir, what you need is the kefir grains. Or if you can’t find the kefir grains, you can purchase the kefir starter online. The starters are merely freezed dried kefir grains which have been carefully packed for freshness. Once you get the grains or the starter, you will need to add milk to it and let it ferment at room temperature for 12-24 hours. The longer you allow it to ferment, the thicker and more sour it is going to be, just like when you are making yogurt. In fact, it is kind of like yogurt, just with more cultures and yeast.

Anyway, I purchased the kefir starter from ebay. It cost about US$6 for 2 packs. Each pack is about to make 1 litre of kefir and can re-use up to 7 times. I think that it will arrive by next week or so and then I will be able to make myself some kefir. Hopefully, the taste of kefir will be enjoyed by my whole family.

PS: Kefir starters are not Kefir grains because the kefir starter are just some strains of bacteria and yeast extracted from the Kefir. So you would not taste the actual thing if you buy starters.