How to Make Coconut Yoghurt
Firstly you need to make some rejuvelac. Why ? This is a natural probiotic, free of chemicals and any other additives. Yes it takes a few days to make but the quality is excellent and you'll know exactly what's in your coconut yoghurt. It works really well in this process. If you use probiotic capsules you'll only be able to reuse the yoghurt as a starter a limited number of times before needing to start a fresh new batch with more capsules. Using rejuvelac you can keep making batches ad infinitum.
You'll Need:
- 65-100gm freshly sprouted grain eg organic wheat, quinoa or brown rice (I used quinoa)
- 1 litre water
- 1 litre glass jar
To Sprout the Grains:
- Soak the grain in a jar overnight in good quality water
- Next day drain the water off and leave grains in the jar
- Place a piece of cheesecloth or muslin over the top and secure with a rubber band
- Rinse and drain twice a day or on warmer days three times is good.
- Leave the jar upside down at room temperature and keep rinsing until tiny sprouts have appeared. This may take 2-3 days.
- Finally rinse the sprouts.
To Make Rejuvelac:
- Cover the sprouts in the jar with good quality water almost to the top
- Place a lid over the top as before and leave at room temperature for 24-48 hours
- The liquid will turn a little cloudy, taste a bit lemony and have tiny bubbles around the top of the water.
- Strain off the grains and keep the liquid (rejuvelac) in the fridge for 1-2 weeks
To Make Coconut Yoghurt with Rejuvelac:
You'll Need:
- 500ml coconut cream - the Kara brand has the nicest flavour but is UHT treated and although it's not raw I'm happy with the final product. (This brand is 99.9% coconut cream with only xanthan gum, guar gum and carragennan added.)
- 4 tablespoons rejuvelac
- 1 litre jar with lid
Place coconut cream in a jar
Next add the rejuvelac culture and stir to mix well
Cover jar with a lid and keep in a warm place - usually a bit warmer than room temperature. There are a few ways to do this
- Put jar in a chilly bin with a hot water bottle and wrap both in a towel.
- Use a wide mouthed thermos flask to make the coconut yoghurt
- Place the jar in an airing cupboard
It will take a little longer than normal dairy yoghurt to set, so be patient. I've found it takes 2-3 days
When set place in fridge where it will become firmer.
Should keep for up to 2 weeks in refrigerator.
To Make Raw Coconut Cream Using Fresh Coconuts:
- Use 2 young coconuts and open them both
- Keep the water and scoop out the pulp which could be translucent or white. If the water or flesh is coloured, either pink or brown, throw it out.
- Place the flesh and a little of the water in a blender and whizz till it's all smooth and thick. Drink the rest of the water.
- Use this for the coconut yoghurt with the rejuvelac.
Another way is to place 2 cans of coconut cream in the fridge for a few hours. Open the cans and scoop out the hardened cream from the top, leaving the liquid for another use. Proceed with the recipe above.