Sikhye (Sweet Rice Punch)
A traditional Korean sweet rice punch made by steeping malt barley water with cooked rice until the grains float, then sweetening and chilling for a refreshing dessert drink. Plan ahead: the steeping and chilling process takes about 6 hours total.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried malted barley (yeotgireum, found at Korean grocery stores)
- 10 cups water
- 2 cups cooked short-grain white rice
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 4 slices fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp pine nuts (for garnish, optional)
Instructions
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1
Place 1 cup dried malted barley (yeotgireum, found at Korean grocery stores) in a large bowl and cover with half the 10 cups water. Soak for 20 minutes, then squeeze and knead the barley with your hands to release the malt starch. Strain through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer, pressing firmly. Discard the solids and reserve the cloudy malt liquid. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then carefully pour off the clear upper liquid and discard the white sediment at the bottom.
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2
Combine the clear malt liquid with the remaining water in a large pot and add 4 slices thinly sliced fresh ginger. Warm over low heat to about 140-150 degrees F (do not boil - high heat kills the enzymes).
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3
Stir in 2 cups cooked short-grain white rice and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Keep the pot at 140-150 degrees F (use a thermometer and the lowest burner setting) for 4-5 hours, or until most of the rice grains float to the surface. Stir every 30 minutes.
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4
Remove the floating rice grains with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a separate bowl with cold water to stop cooking. Bring the remaining liquid to a full boil for 5 minutes to halt enzyme activity, then remove the ginger.
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5
Let the punch cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
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6
To serve, ladle the chilled punch into glasses, add a spoonful of the reserved floating rice, and garnish with 2 tbsp pine nuts (for garnish, optional).