Kumis is traditionally associated with horses, but Eastern peoples also make a healthy and refreshing drink from goat's milk. The taste is unusual and sweetish, and it contains many useful elements and minerals. Kumis improves digestion, stabilizes the nervous system, and restores the protective microflora of the upper respiratory tract. Constant consumption of goat milk kumis is the key to health and longevity.
Required Ingredients
Anyone can make kumis; you just need to get a few fresh ingredients:
- goat milk - only very fresh, 1 liter will do;
- 1 glass of clean boiled water;
- kefir – any fat content, store-bought or homemade – 3 tbsp;
- sweetener - honey, sugar - to taste;
- baker's yeast – 5 gr.
It is advisable to use homemade products, because store-bought milk may be too low in fat - then the drink will not be strong enough. The best milk is fresh, in the morning, so it is better to go to the market by 6-7 am. Instead of kefir, it is allowed to take odorless and tasteless yogurt.
How to make kumiss from goat milk at home
Boiled water and sugar are poured into the milk, and the resulting mixture is thoroughly mixed. Before starting cooking, it is advisable to let the milk steep in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. Pour in kefir a teaspoon at a time, stirring after each addition of a new dose. The result should be a homogeneous mixture without lumps or flakes.
The resulting liquid is wrapped in a thick cloth and left in a warm place overnight (5-6 hours). After oxidation, you will get a fairly thick substance, which must be strained through a medium-sized strainer. After this, add a small amount of water to the yeast and stir until it reaches a creamy consistency. The prepared mixture is added to kumys and left for 5-10 minutes.
After thick foam appears, the liquid is poured into bottles, not reaching 2 cm from the edge of the neck, and placed in the refrigerator. Kumis will be ready for use in a day. The longer you keep the bottles in the refrigerator, the higher the final strength of the drink.
Storage rules and periods
The drink is prepared using the activity of a special lactic bacterium, so improper storage can lead to too rapid proliferation of microorganisms and spoilage of the product. Natural, unpasteurized kumys is rarely stored for more than 3 days, but at low temperatures it can be stored for up to a week.
In summer cottages or in villages where there are no electric refrigerators, you can put bottles in a container of cold water or a cellar, where the temperature is kept low. The optimal temperature for storage is 2-5 degrees Celsius. The higher it is, the more the shelf life of the product decreases. To increase the resistance of the drink to the proliferation of fermented milk microflora, you can use special stabilizing additives, which, however, will increase the final cost of the product.
You can also boil the finished product at 95 degrees for 5 minutes. Pasteurized drink can be stored for 5-7 days.
It should be noted that strong kumiss contains an impressive percentage of alcohol, so it is not recommended for consumption by women, children and people engaged in responsible work that requires high concentration.
