Kim Dae-seok's Traditional Sikhye

Name: Kim Dae-seok's Traditional Sikhye
Cook time: 330 min
Total time: 330 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: barley malt 400g; coarse, dry-cooked rice 2 cups (380g); sugar 2 cups (300g, adjust to taste); thinly sliced ginger 2 pieces (5g); fine salt 1/4 tablespoon (2g, flower salt acceptable); purified water 5L (5,000ml); fine mesh bag 1 piece

Traditional sikhye made by fermenting rice in a rice cooker's keep-warm mode, with rice grains floating to the surface for completion

5 hr 30 min Difficulty Normal Snacks & desserts

Main ingredients

barley maltriceginger

Ingredients needed 8 servings

barley malt 400g

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barley malt rice ginger

Kim Dae-seok's Kabocha Sikhye

Strain the syrup twice to remove impurities, then blend boiled kabocha squash for a clean, richly sweet traditional kabocha squash syrup.

5 hr 30 minNormalSnacks & desserts

kabocha squashbarley malt powdershort-grain riceglutinous ricejujube

traditional beverageholiday foodhomemade

This Man's Cook Cha Seung-won Sikhye

A traditional sikhye made cleanly using an electric rice cooker and malt oil tea bags, enhanced with ginger aroma

6 hrNormalSnacks & desserts

malt oil tea baggingersugar

holiday foodhomemadehome cafe

coarse, dry-cooked rice 2 cups (380g)

sugar 2 cups (300g, adjust to taste)

thinly sliced ginger 2 pieces (5g)

fine salt 1/4 tablespoon (2g, flower salt acceptable)

purified water 5L (5,000ml)

fine mesh bag 1 piece

Recipe

Soak barley malt in a mesh bag in 5L of water for 30 minutes, then squeeze and rub to extract the liquid. Let it rest undisturbed for 30 minutes to allow sediment to settle.
Transfer only the clear top layer of the barley malt liquid into the rice cooker with 2 cups of cooked rice. Use the keep-warm function for 4–4.5 hours to slowly ferment the rice.
For serving with floating rice grains, remove some fermented rice grains, rinse thoroughly in ice water to eliminate starch, and store separately in the fridge. Pour the remaining liquid and rice into a pot.
Boil while skimming off foam, then add sugar, salt, and ginger. Simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes, removing ginger halfway. Cool completely before refrigerating.
When serving, place the chilled rice grains on top of the chilled sikhye as a garnish.

Cooking tips

Strain the barley malt thoroughly through a fine cloth to ensure a clear final broth.
Floating rice grains indicate fermentation progress—proceed to boiling when 5–6 grains rise to the surface.
Store finished sikhye in the refrigerator after cooling completely.

Recommended for

Those who want to make traditional drinks for holidays at home.
People looking to learn how to ferment sikhye using barley malt and rice.
Individuals seeking a homemade, chilled sikhye to share with family.

Ttukdak Hyung's Danhobak Sikhye

A cool and sweet traditional beverage made by mixing mashed steamed sweet pumpkin into basic sikhye, which is fermented rice with malt water over a long period.

5 hr 30 minNormalSnacks & desserts

malt powderkabocha squashsugarcooked rice

traditional drinkholiday foodhomemade