Making own Matsoni yogurt and Kefir Cheese

After having tasted homemade yogurt at my mother-in-law's, I no longer find the off-the-shelf yogurts tasty. In fact, those pff-the-shelf yogurts are too sweet and not effective. I tried to bring home some from Korea but the yogurt culture died along the way. I wasn't able to make my own yogurt for a days and my craving grew. So, I went on carousell (https://carousell.com/sl_teo) and found this really nice lady that sells Milk Kefir grains, Matsoni Yogurt and others. Not only she provided me with the Matsoni Yogurt and Milk Kefir grains which I wanted, she also provided me with very detailed instructions and recipes. 

Matsoni Yogurt: 

• I placed 2 tablespoon of yogurt and added 500ml of full fat milk (here I used Marigold Fresh Milk Pasteurized) in a glass sealed container. (It is important not to use any metal spoon. Plastic and Wooden utensils are fine.)
• You could cover the container with a paper towel and secure with rubber band and leave on the table for 14-16 hours. But I used a air-tight glass container and it still worked well. In fact, I left my culture for only 9 hours overnight and it was done. What I got was a creamy smooth yogurt. 

Milk Kefir :

• I placed a few grains of kefir and added 250ml of full fat milk (here I used Marigold Fresh Milk Pasteurized) in a glass sealed container. 
• Similarly as above, I used an air-tight container and no metal utensils were used.
• For Milk Kefir, it takes much longer to set. One should see enough liquid pockets (whey). If there isn't enough, one should wait a few hours longer. It usually take a full day for my Kefir to completely separately. 
• After which, separate the Milk Kefir using a paper coffee filter by placing the mug in the fridge while it separates. The Milk Kefir will thicken to form Kefir cheese and you will also get the Whey.
• The whey could be used the next morning and mixed with juice and drank straight away, or blend it with berries to make smoothies. 
• The kefir cheese could be made into cheese balls and soaked into olive oil to be kept for a longer period, and can be used to make pasta salad.

What are the health benefits of homemade yogurt? Like most yogurt, it has abundance of good bacteria in this yogurt, such as lactobacillus and thermophilus, which makes it a rich probiotic source. Being mesophillic, it requires very minimal effort to prepare.

What are the health benefits of kefir? Compared to many other yogurt which usually has only 3-5 kinds of beneficial bacterial, Kefir has 36-40 healthy beneficial bacterial. Kefir is easier to digest, has anti-bacterial properties and helps vital organs. While most yogurt are thermophilic, Kefir is mesophillic. There are 2 types of Kefir - Milk Kefir and Water Kefir. Milk kefir has more nutrition, which comes naturally from the milk, while water kefir is less fattening. Milk kefir is also good for lactose intolerant because the bacteria processes the lactose, making it 99% lactose free. People who wants to lose weight will prefer Water Kefir, as it also has low glycemic index (GI), which means it releases glucose to the bloodstream at a relatively slower rate making one feel full for a longer time, and therefore not crave for food. 

Kefir separates into whey and curds. Whey contains many important minerals and source of amino acids, great source of electrolytes, regenerates intestinal flora, maintain proper pH in our gut, and acts as natural antiseptic. ^^