Sikhye

Ingredients

• 4⅔ ozbarley maltcoarsely ground or in malt tea bags (yeotgireum)
• 10½ cupsWaterlukewarm, for extracting the malt
• 10½ ozricecooked white rice, cooked slightly dry
• 4⅔ ozSugaradjust to taste
• Pine nutsfor garnish
• dried jujubespitted, thinly sliced, for garnish (optional)
• 1Gingerthumb-sized, roughly sliced, added while boiling (optional)

Method

1. Prepare the riceCook the rice a little drier than you normally would, then fluff it up well with a fork or rice paddle.
2. Soak the barley maltSoak the barley malt in lukewarm water for 20 minutes to 1 hour, ideally wrapped in a cloth or bag so nothing slips through later.
3. Extract the maltKnead and squeeze the malt firmly in the water until the liquid turns milky, then strain it off. Repeat with fresh water to get as much out of the malt as you can.
4. Clarify the malt waterLet the malt water sit until the sediment has settled at the bottom. Carefully pour off the clear liquid and leave the sediment behind.
5. Steep in the rice cookerStir the malt water and rice together in the rice cooker and leave it on the keep-warm setting for 4 to 8 hours; it must not boil. It's ready once a few rice grains are floating on the surface, so take out any malt tea bags at this point.
6. Set some rice grains asideIf you like, strain off some of the rice grains, rinse them under cold water and keep them chilled in fresh water so they float nice and loose in the glass later.
7. Boil and sweetenPour the liquid into a pot, add a few slices of ginger if you're using it, bring to a boil and skim off the foam. Stir in the sugar and let everything boil for 5 to 10 minutes until it has completely dissolved. Remove the ginger slices.
8. Chill thoroughlyLet the sikhye cool, then chill it thoroughly in the fridge.
9. Serve it coldPour it cold into glasses or bowls and serve with the rice grains, pine nuts and, if you like, thin slices of jujube.

Tips and variations

For a shortcut, put the malt in tea bags straight into the rice cooker instead of making malt water first. No rice cooker? An oven on its lowest setting or an Instant Pot works too, or simmer the rice in the malt water for 30 minutes and then leave it at room temperature for 24 hours. Glutinous rice instead of short-grain rice gives a slightly different texture, and ginger plus a pinch of salt when boiling adds depth. To mix things up, try pumpkin sikhye (danhobak sikhye) with puréed kabocha, or tint it with purple sweet potato powder. Serve it properly ice-cold and give it a quick stir so every glass gets a few rice grains.