A traditional sweet drink made of fermented malt and rice, sikhye has a pleasantly malty aftertaste. As the rice ferments, the grains turn white and become spongy, releasing their starch into the liquid, which turns light amber. The punch is never fermented long enough to become alcoholic, and it’s often served as a dessert in Korean restaurants. It’s also sold in cans at Korean grocery stores, but the homemade version has a more powerful malt flavor than anything you can get in a can. Sikhye is usually served cold, but when you make it at home, you can enjoy it right after boiling it. For proper fermentation, you must steep the rice grains in the malt for about 4 hours at a constant temperature. You can use a rice cooker for small batches (if you have a 10-cup rice cooker, it will hold a half recipe), but be sure to set it on “warm,” not “cook,” or your rice will cook and overflow. The timing will be the same. In this recipe, though, I show you how to make sikhye the oldfashioned way: as a big batch in a large pot, keeping a watchful eye on it to make sure the temperature remains steady.
Makes about 5 quarts
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 pound (3 cups) barley malt powder (yeotgireum garu)
- 6 quarts water
- 2 cups short-grain white rice, soaked in cold water for 2 to 3 hours
- Sugar (optional)
- Pine nuts for sprinkling
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Combine the malt powder and water in a large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon to mix well. Set aside until the malt solids have settled on the bottom and the liquid is clear; it will take 2 to 3 hours to separate completely. Pour the clear liquid into a large heavy pot and discard the dregs.
- Meanwhile, drain the rice and put it in a steamer basket lined with cheesecloth. Put the steamer in a pot filled with about 5 cups water. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 30 minutes. Check the rice to see if it’s fully cooked: Each grain should be a little translucent and tender. If the rice is still a little hard, continue to cook, adding more water to the pot if necessary, until it is soft.
- Transfer the cooked rice to the pot of liquid. Stir with a wooden spoon to separate the grains. To ferment the rice, you will have to keep the temperature of the liquid at between 122°F and 140°F. To do so, cover the pot and heat over low heat until the temperature reaches about 140°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 20 minutes. (If you don’t have a thermometer, dip your finger into the liquid: If it feels warm but not hot, it should be at the proper temperature.) Turn off the heat and let sit until the temperature falls to 122°F, about 30 minutes. Then reheat to 140°F. Repeat the heating and cooling process until several rice grains float to the surface, signaling that the rice is fermented. This will take about 4 hours.
- Bring the punch to a full boil over high heat. Skim the bubbles from the surface with a skimmer. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool.
- Set a strainer over a large bowl and pour the contents of the pot into the strainer. Rinse the rice under cold water, drain, and transfer to an airtight container. Add cold water to cover the rice, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
- Line the strainer with cheesecloth, set it over a large glass jar, and strain the liquid again. The brownish foam will collect in the cheesecloth, and the liquid will be a clear light amber. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2
weeks. - To serve, ladle about 1½ cups of the liquid per serving into a serving bowl and add 2 to 3 tablespoons rice per serving. The punch will be mildly sweet; if you’d like, you can add a teaspoon or two of sugar to each serving. The beautiful white rice will float to the surface. Sprinkle with pine nuts and serve.
