Korean Rice Drink (Sikhye) Recipe

Instructions

1. Soak the crushed milled malt barley (yeotkireum 엿기름) in 10 cup of warm water for 1 hour. While soaking, massage the malt barley with hand 2 to 3 times so that all the good stuff gets loose from the husk.

2. Strain malt barley water, making sure you squeeze out all the good stuff by hand in the strainer before throwing it away.

3. Rest the strained malt water for 2 to 3 hrs and there will be white sediments at the bottom of the bowl. For a clearer sikhye, let it rest 4 to 5 hrs.

4. In the mean time, cook 1 cup of rice. When cooking rice, use less water to produce a drier rice. The rice granules should easily separate when cooked and not stick together.

5. Add the top liquid part of the malt barley water to the rice cooker with the cooked rice already in it. Leave the white sediments in the bowl as much as possible. Keep any remaining liquid in the bowl and let it rest.

6. Keep the rice + malt barley liquid mixture warm ( use the ‘keep warm’ option) in the rice cooker for around 5 hrs or more until about 4 to 5 rice granules rise to the top.

7. THEN strain rice from liquid and rinse under running cold water and drain. Store in the fridge. Also be sure to use full 1 cup sugar later to make the rice float.