My Water Kefir Recipes

I fell in love with fermenting Water Kefir and got so much kick out of making it that I am very much a brewer of kefir. My Kefir teacher said that I may have invented a new kefir grain when I soaked my kefir grains in Roselle drinks for 2 days! I started it more than 6 months ago with one table spoon of Kefir after taking a lesson on that. It took weeks for me to wake up that 1 tablespoon of kefir. There was no "activity" in the mixture after soaking for 3 days. I then threw away the water and tried again. After three trials, I decided to put my kefir into sleep mode in the fridge and I started to watch a few YouTube Videos about how to make Water Kefir. Finally, I reached out to my teacher and she told me instead of one day, I should let it ferment for 2-3 days as a way to wake them up.

In the beginning, I was soaking the kefir grains for 3 days in the first fermentation also 3 days in the second fermentation. I did try to do the 1 day for first and then 1 day for second fermentation but that gave me too much work to do that daily. There were times, I soaked them longer than 3 days, they were still good, more gassy and tipsy as we drank them.

I started brewing one litre at a time, it was slow as the family consumed it quite fast. Then I made 2 litres and soon, I was making 6 litres, limited by the glass jars that I have.

First Fermentation Station

The first fermentation formula is easy : 1 litre of room temperature clean water with 1/4 Cup of raw cane Sugar (can be brown or white). Here is what I usually do, melt 1/4 Cup Sugar (prefer brown) with hot water, then dilute with room temperature. Put in the Kefir, wait for a day or two. To wake them up, needs 3-4 days, may need to change water also.

Once in a while, use jaggery sugar with pitch of Soda Bicarbonate to ensure water kefir are in good health and able to multiple.

Second Fermentation Station

Here are my success stories and what I put in the second fermentation:-

1) Sparkling Grape Kefir - My family's top favourite, top of the top. They request me to make this only. My kids called it "Holy Communion's Drink".

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar into 1-litre bottle
50 ml of Grape Juice
700-800 ml of Kefir Water after first fermentation

Shake the bottle to dissolve the sugar. Wash off any spills on the bottles. Keep them in dark cool place for 1-2 days. They could turn gassy really fast like within 24 hours. So its best to check on them regularly.


2) Fruit Tea Kefir - Fruity taste and quite similar to Grape Kefir
Brew 30 -50 gm of Fruit tea (with fruits or flowers) in 300 ml hot water (do the night before). This is for 6 bottles.

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar into 1-litre bottle
50 ml of Fruit Tea
700-800 ml of Kefir Water after first fermentation

Shake the bottle to dissolve the sugar. Watch off any spills on the bottles. Keep them in dark cool place for 1-2 days. They could turn gassy really fast like within 24 hours. So its best to check on them regularly.

3) Pineapple Lemon Kefir (Shandy)

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar into 1-litre bottle
Pineapples and Lemon or Orange with grinds diced (squeeze in juice, about 50-80 gm)
OR
Lemon / Orange with ginger slices
800 ml of Kefir Water after first fermentation

Shake the bottle to dissolve the sugar. Watch off any spills on the bottles. Keep them in dark cool place for 2-3 days. The longer we keep them in fermentation, it becomes slightly more alcoholic.
The comments I got for this drinks is between Shandy and weak beer.

4) Roselle Kefir 

I have done three methods and all seem to work.

Method 1
Boil 400 gm Roselle petals (fresh or dry) with 3 litres of water, do not add any sugar, let it completely cool. Prefer to do the night before.
Use this Roselle Drink to do first fermentation for 1- 1 1/2 days. Be careful to check that kefir grains are doing ok, breathing well in the jar.

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar into 1-litre bottle
800 ml of Roselle Kefir Water after first fermentation
(Some would just do first fermentation and then chill after filter the grains)

They do turn gassy within a day or two. Colours are really bright red. 

Method 2

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar into 1-litre bottle
2-3 Roselle flowers, open up the petals and pour into water kefir drink
800 ml of normal Kefir Water after first fermentation

Colour not so bring red. Its pinkish.

Method 3

1 Tbsp Brown Sugar into 1-litre bottle
50-80 ml of Boiled Roselle Drinks
800 ml of normal Kefir Water after first fermentation

Method 1's kefir is the brightest red !

5) Coconut Kefir 

Pour fresh coconut juice into water kefir

Just need first fermentation, soak 8-10 hours, pour drinks into bottles and chill before drink.

6) Other Kefir ingredients that I have tried are :-

Dragonfruits, Lemon only, Orange with Ginger, dates, plumes, Grapes (slice them) but colour does not change much.
I have tried Jasmine Tea and it did not turn out well.
My friend has tried with Chinese Gogi, Dates and she said it was nice.

Taste is very personal and my entire family now thirst for kefir including the kids. I also check on my kefir often and would tap the jars and in return, the kefir bubbles will burst out before me, just like a fireworks in the sky, I would see a kefir water-works inside the jar of kefir water. It was mersmerising to watch and comforting to know that they are alive and doing well.

References

1) https://www.yemoos.com/pages/water-kefir-faq-introduction-basics
2) https://theconsciouslife.com/how-to-make-water-kefir-tibicos.htm
3) https://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2011/04/water-kefir-faqs/
4) https://www.farmdrop.com/blog/how-to-make-water-kefir/