Sadly, these days, it is hard to find real home made Sikhye anymore.
If you ever tasted the canned Sikhye that is available in most Korean markets worldwide.
– I am so sorry… that is really NOT anything close to what the real one tastes like.
The canned Sikhye is nothing but sugar water.
The real Sikhye flavors are just not there…
I will show you how you make it the home made Sikhye (since we do use the modern gadget called the “rice cooker”).
BTW, the milled malt barley used here is the same malt used to make beer and bread.
However, when a non-Korean malt barley is used, for some reason, it does not always produce the same effect. Perhaps it’s milled differently or not enough of the needed ingredients are in there.
Servings: 10 cups Cooking Time: 6~7 hrs
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cup milled malt barley(yeotkireum)
- 10 cup water
- 1 cup cooked short grain rice
- 3/4 ~ 1 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
- cotton for strainer
- ginger (optional)
Directions
1. Soak the crushed milled malt barley (yeotkireum) in 10 C of warm water for 1 hour. While soaking, massage the malt barley with your hand 2-3 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.
* Rest the strained malt water for 2~3 hrs and you will see white sediments accumulate at the bottom of the bowl.For a clearer sikhye, let it rest 4~5 hrs.
3. Add the top liquid part of the malt barley water to the rice cooker with the cooked rice already in it.
6PM -----------------------Next day-------------------> 1AM
4. Keep the rice + malt barley liquid mixture ‘keep warm’ in the rice cooker for around 7 hrs until about some rice granules rise to the top.
This means the amylase in the malt has been activated in the warm temperature and has transformed the starch in the rice into maltose making the rice lighter and therefore floating to the top. In other word, this is fermentation process.
* prepared cutting ginger and making sachet
5. Boil on medium heat for 10 minutes. Skim off any foam while it’s boiling.Taste the sweetness and adjust sugar to taste. Also remember that the drink will taste less sweet when served cold.
And now you have a fabulous sweet, flavorful Korean rice dessert drink for parties and guests.
Options
- Add couple pieces of sliced ginger to step 5 for additional flavor.
- Traditionally, pine nuts, dried jujube sliced thinly are used as garnish.
- You can also use little bit of yuzu syrup to add a citrus finish before serving.
Extra Stuff
I made lemon tea, formented beet and pickle. It just practiced for fermentation assingment.
I will show you simply.
Lemon Tea
Pickle
Formented beet
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