Hi friends,
It's Teenuja here and today I'm sharing the
easy and fun process of making water kefir
soda at home.
If you're wondering what is water kefir and
why you would want to make this.
Well, water kefir is a fermented beverage
full of beneficial bacteria and probiotic
to keep the gut healthy.
It has a pleasant tangy taste and is sparkling,
quite similar in flavour to a fizzy lemonade.
Most of the sugar is consumed in the fermentation
process and this makes water kefir soda a
healthy alternative to commercial sodas and
can even be enjoyed by small children.
Water kefir soda is achieved by a two-stage
fermentation process that is really quite
simple.
The first stage introduces 'water kefir grains'
into sugar water.
And the second stage is the flavouring and
this is when the carbonation happens to create
a fizzy beverage.
The water kefir grains are not actual grains
like wheat or rice but they are referred to
as such only for their appearance.
They in fact look like little clusters of
translucent crystal-like gelatinous structures.
You can buy them online or in certain health
stores.
I'll leave you a few links in the description
where you can purchase them from.
Fresh and clean water should be used when
fermenting water kefir.
You may use tap water as long as the chlorine
is removed it.
If you use filtered water, I urge you to check
out the link to the blog post where I talk
more explicitly about appropriate water treatments.
For the sugar, I've found that organic blond
cane sugar produces excellent tasting water kefir.
For some extra minerals, I add a little Rapadura
to keep the grains healthy.
You can also use sucanat, coconut sugar or
jaggery in small amounts.
So here I'm adding four tablespoons of blond
sugar and one tablespoon of rapadura sugar
to 4 cups of water at room temperature.
Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved
before adding it to the kefir grains.
Using a plastic or wooden spoon, try to avoid
metal, add two tablespoons of water kefir
grains in a clean jar.
I have two jars here, so two tablespoons in
each, then fill each jar with 2 cups of the
sugar water.
You can multiply or reduce this quantity depending
on how much kefir grains you have.
Basically the ratio is for each tablespoon
of kefir grains use one tablespoon of blond
sugar, a pinch of rapadura sugar and 1 cup
of water.
Cover the jars with a cloth secured with a
rubber band and let them sit in a warm place
at 24-26°C (75-80°F) for 48 hours, although
in summer you may find that the fermentation
is much quicker and less than 24 hours is
enough.
After the fermentation, pour the mixture through
a strainer and set the grains aside
for your next batch.
If you've done the fermentation properly,
the water kefir grains will grow and multiply
after each batch.
When you start having more than you can use,
you can give them away to friends or check out
the blog post, the link is in the description,
for some tips about how to store them.
Now here's the fun part which is the second
stage of the fermentation and the flavouring.
I am sharing 3 flavour ideas.
You can experiment on your own and have fun
with different flavours.
And if you do, leave us a comment below and
share your favourite flavour combos so we
can all be inspired by one another.
I almost always have fresh ginger root on
hand so it's one of the flavours that I most
often make and if you love ginger beer, you'll
probably love this one.
Today I'm combining the ginger with some dried
hibiscus flowers.
You can use other herbal teas as well like
lemongrass or lavender.
So add these to a clean bottle.
We need a small amount of sweetener to help
with the fermentation so stir less than a
tablespoon of maple syrup into the fermented
water kefir and pour it into the bottle.
Leave about an inch or so at the top to account
for the carbonation.
Otherwise as the pressure builds up, the bottle
may explode.
I am using bottles with a screw top.
You may also use the ones that have a swing
top.
Just make sure the bottle is tightly sealed.
Leave this to ferment for 24 - 48 hours.
For the second flavour option, you can use
fresh fruits.
We filmed this video when cherries was still
in season but you can use any fruits that
you like.
Just cut them into small pieces and pit them
if needed.
You can also use unsulfured dried fruits too.
Raisins, dates and figs are great options.
Drop the fruits into the bottle and fill with
2 cups of water kefir leaving a little space
at the top.
The fruits already contain their natural sweeteners
so there is no need to add any more.
Seal and leave to ferment for 24 - 48 hours.
The third option is fruit juice.
I love freshly squeezed orange juice but you
can also use store-bought juices like apple,
pomegranate or grape juice.
Try to add as little juice as possible to
get the flavour without diluting the water
kefir content too much.
I usually add about 60 ml (or 4 tablespoons)
of juice to 2 cups of water kefir.
Seal the bottle and leave to ferment 
for 24 - 48 hours.
After fermentation, slowly open the lid on
the bottle.
Be very careful as there is probably a lot
of carbonation inside and the liquid may fizz
up and make quite a mess if you open the bottle
too quickly.
Now you can start the process all over again.
That's all there is to it.
It's basically just mixing sugar water and
then adding in your favourite flavours.
I hope you'll have fun experimenting with
flavours.
I do recommend that you read the blog post
for some additional notes that may be useful,
if you want to make this at home, the link
is in the description.
If you've enjoyed this video, don't forget
to give us a thumbs up and if you're trying
different flavours, do share them in the comments
for inspiration or take a picture and tag
us on Instagram @veganlovlie #veganlovlie
We hope you have fun and enjoy great health!
Bye
