How to Make Shikhye (Korean Rice Punch)

First of all, shikye (식혜) is a Korean rice punch that is deee-licious! It’s South Korea’s equivalent to sweet tea here in the States.

The first time I had it was after dinner at a Korean restaurant. I drank mine and my sister’s! (Lucky for me, she thought it was too sweet!)

I would always beg my mom to buy some if we saw it at the Korean grocery store. Because it was rather expensive, she almost always said no. But I never understood why it was so expensive until I made it myself.

That’s not to say that it’s overly complicated with lots of ingredients. But it does require some time, as Korean cuisine often does. So the price of it reflects the time taken not the cost of the ingredients, which is nominal.

But it is very tasty and so worth the effort to make. Even though I like to drink it anytime, shikye is often served after dinner as a dessert punch. Because it is so light and refreshing, many people say it makes a great digestif!

And best of all, it really only takes four ingredients to make and one of those is water!

I started with a recipe from the back of the package for the malt powder. But that recipe called for 40 cups of water. That’s like a tub of water! So I changed the sizes and tweaked some steps to get what you see here.

However, it isn’t a bad idea to double my recipe (if you have a large enough pot!). Because this tasty drink goes fast!

Equipment

Rice cooker

Large stock pot

Medium bowl

Strainer

Paper towel

Ladle

Medium container with a lid

Pitcher

 

Ingredients

Glutinous rice – 1 cup

Malt powder – 1 cup

Sugar – 1 cup

Water – about 14 cups

Pine nuts – 1 tablespoon (optional)

 

Directions

1. In a large pot or bowl, add the 1 cup of malt powder to the 14 cups of water. Stir well and then let sit at least 6 hours (or better yet, overnight) for the powder to settle to the bottom. After the powder has settled to the bottom, the liquid on top should be relatively clear.
2. While the powder is settling from the liquid, cook the 1 cup of glutinous rice in the rice cooker.
3. When the rice is done cooking, transfer it to a bowl to cool.
4. Place strainer on top of the now empty rice cooker pot. And place a paper towel in the strainer (this is the fine sieve for the malt liquid).
5. Ladle the clear liquid from Step 1 into the strainer for the liquid to pour into the rice cooker pot. But be careful not to disturb the settled powder in the large pot.
6. Fill the rice cooker pot about 1/2-3/4 full. If you have more liquid left in the large pot, set it aside until Step 9.
7. Add the cooled cooked rice back to the rice cooker pot and stir with the liquid. Close the lid on the rice cooker and set it to “Warm” for about three hours. This is the fermentation process.
8. After about three hours, grains of rice will float to the top. This indicates that it’s done. Scoop out the rice into the strainer and run under cold water for a few minutes. Then put the rice into a container with a bit of cold water. Tightly cover with a lid and place in the refrigerator.
9. Place the remaining liquid in the rice cooker, and the left over liquid (only the liquid and none of the powder) from Step 6 into a large pot.
10. Add the 1 cup of sugar and let simmer for about 15 minutes. And scoop out any sediment that bubbles up while simmering.
11. Let cool and store in a pitcher(s).
12. Finally enjoy cold in individual bowls with a spoonful or two of the refrigerated rice. You can also add a few pine nuts as well.

 

While shikye doesn’t require a lot of ingredients, it does require some time. But it’s so worth the effort to make it!

Most of all, with Seollal (Korean New Year) coming up, it’s the perfect time to make some and share it!

And don’t forget to let me know how it goes in the comments!