How to Make Young Coconut Water Kefir & Pudding
Kefir can be made by fermenting water from young coconuts. It is a rich source of beneficial bacteria for the digestive tract. Drinking kefir before meals helps digestion, and drinking it each night helps restore healthy flora to the intestines. You can make your own coconut water kefir with coconuts and a starter bought at the health food store. In addition, after draining the water from the coconuts, you can scoop out the meat of the coconuts and make a delicious pudding. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 3 or 4 young Thai coconuts
- Screwdriver
- Hammer
- Glass jar
- Glass pitcher
- Saucepan
- Thermometer
- Kefir starter
- Sharp knife
- Large metal spoon
- Blender
- 3 tsps. agave sweetener, honey or maple syrup
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- Dash of cinnamon
Instructions
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Making Kefir
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1
Buy three or four young Thai coconuts from the health food store or Asian market. They are whitish in color and round with a pointed top. Avoid brownish or splotchy coconuts because they are not fresh. Punch two holes in the top of each coconut with the screwdriver and hammer. Turn the coconut over a glass jar to drain the water. If the water is pink, throw it away because it is spoiled. Pour the water into the pitcher and drain the next coconut. Drain each one separately so that, if one is spoiled, you will not contaminate the water you already drained from previous coconuts.
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2
Pour all the coconut water into the saucepan and heat to 92 degrees Fahrenheit. Reserve 1/3 cup of the coconut water and set aside if you are making pudding later. Be careful not to exceed this temperature or you will kill important, nutritional bacteria. Pour the heated water back into the pitcher.
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3
Add one packet of kefir starter, also found at health food stores. Keep the pitcher between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit for the next 36 to 48 hours for fermentation. You can taste it periodically after 36 hours until it acquires the taste you like. This may take some experimentation for the first batch or two.
Making the Pudding
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4
Cut open the coconuts. You can cut it open with a very sharp, sturdy knife. Be very careful; it is not easy to cut a coconut because they are very fibrous. You can have the staff at the store where you bought the coconuts cut them open for you and wrap them in plastic, although they may spill the water in the process.
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5
Scoop out the soft meat with a metal spoon and place the meat in a blender.
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6
Add the agave sweetener, honey or maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon and reserved coconut water.
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7
Turn the blender to high for a few seconds until the pudding is smooth. Chill and serve plain or with a topping.
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Tips & Warnings
You can mix your kefir with a little ginger, stevia, or lemon before drinking, or maybe some black currant or cranberry juice.
If you make subsequent batches of kefir, use a quarter cup of the previous batch for the starter. You can make about seven batches from one packet of starter from the store.
