Sikhye is a popular Korean traditional sweet rice drink. The sweetness from the barley flavour is loved by many. This drink is often served during the Korean festive holiday.
Ingredients to make Shikye are relatively simple to get, which are water, malted barley flour, sugar and cooked rice. Although it requires several hours to prepare this delicious beverage, do not let it deter you from trying to make this drink as the recipe is quite easy.
You will need a large rice cooker that can make about 10 servings of rice and equip with a warm setting. If you do not have a rice cooker, try using an oven. Place the pot in the oven and keep it at the lowest temperature for 4 to 8 hours.
Other than that, you can make it in the pot on the stove. Just make sure the temperature between 50°C to 65°C. Keep it at that temperature for 4 hours until some of the rice floating.
Sikhye is usually served cold, but you can also enjoy it hot or freeze into a slush. Make your very own homemade Sikhye and enjoy it the way you like.
Ingredients (12 servings):
- 210g malted barley flour
- 15 cups water
- 1 cup of steamed white rice (make sure the rice is cooked slightly drier than usual)
- 1 cup of sugar
Directions:
- Put the malted barley flour into the large bowl and 1 cup of lukewarm water. Leave it for about 1 hour.
- Once the water becomes milky and the sediments have sunk to the bottom, gently pour the water into a rice cooker pot. Make sure the sediments are still in the bowl.
- Add the cooked white rice then set the rice cooker on warm for 4 to 8 hours. You can see it is ready when about 3 or 4 grains of rice float to the top.
- Next, pour the liquid into a large pot. Make sure to strain the rice. You can keep some rice if you want to mix it with the drink later. Rinse the rice in running water, put into a container and add some water.
- Add the sugar into the pot and boil under high heat until the sugar dissolves. You can adjust the amount of sugar according to your preference. Let the drink cool to the room temperature. Then, transfer it to a bottle to keep in the fridge.
- For serving, pour the chilled Sikhye into a cup. Put some reserved rice from step 2. You can garnish the drink with some pine nuts or dried jujube.
Craving for more Korean food recipes? Check out our recipes made easy for Korean Spicy Chicken Wing or Korean Fried Vegetable Dumplings.
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