Alyssa F. asks, “Hi! I am curious if I can use Kombucha instead of apple cider vinegar, whey, or lemon juice when soaking grains or legumes the night before?” on today’s #AskWardee.
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The Question
Alyssa F. says:
“Hi! I am curious if I can use kombucha instead of apple cider vinegar, whey, or lemon juice when soaking grains or legumes the night before?”
The Answer?
Yes! You can use Kombucha instead of those acids! But I won’t leave it there…
1. What is soaking and why soak?
Grains and beans (and all seeds, including nuts and seeds) have anti-nutrients like phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors that can interfere with digestion and lead to mineral deficiencies. When you soak with an acid medium, the anti-nutrients are neutralized during the soaking period and resulting in a more digestible and nutritious dish.
2. How to soak?
You simply combine the grain or bean with water (or another liquid) and an acid such as apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, Kombucha, water kefir, dairy kefir, yogurt, or plain white vinegar for 7 to 8 hours or overnight.
I have video instruction for soaking grains and beans in my free Traditional Cooking Video series — sign up if you haven’t already!
3. What is Kombucha and why does it work as a substitution?
Kombucha is a fermented, probiotic beverage that contains acids. Because it’s acidic, it works as a straight substitution for apple cider vinegar or any other acid. Go for it!
Here’s my recipe for Kombucha.
4. Why would you want to use Kombucha?
- It’s all you have.
- You have a lot of Kombucha to use up.
- You prefer the flavor of it in the end product (it can be less sour).
- Because it has beneficial organisms, it can enhance the soaking through the actions of the organisms, which consume starches and sugars in what you’re soaking, making it even more digestible! (Similar to raw apple cider vinegar or other soaking acids that have beneficial organisms.)
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Have you ever soaked grains and beans with kombucha?
This simple tutorial on soaking brown rice is a great place to start!
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I have never heard of soaking beans in ACV, lemon juice or the other acidic liquids. I have always used just plain water. Do you just add a certain amount of acidic liquid or is all of the liquid used acidic?
Thanks