Korean Rice Drink (Sikhye): Sweet Barley Rice Punch

Korean rice drink, usually called sikhye, is a gently sweet, chilled punch made by combining cooked rice with barley-malt water. The malt’s enzymes turn some of the rice starch into sugar during a warm rest, giving the drink its distinctive mild sweetness and tender floating rice grains; recipes vary in sweetness and may include ginger or pine nuts.

Ingredients

1 cup (120 g) coarse malted barley powder, also sold as yeotgireum or Korean barley malt powder
8 cups (1.9 L) warm water, for extracting the malt
1 cup (190 g) short-grain white rice, such as Korean or Japanese-style rice
1¼ cups (300 ml) water, for cooking the rice
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, or less to taste
1-inch (20 g) piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced; optional
4 cups (950 ml) cold water, for diluting the finished drink
2 tablespoons (16 g) pine nuts, for serving; optional

Instructions

Rinse and cook the rice. Rinse the rice in a bowl of cool water, changing the water until it looks mostly clear, then drain well. Add the rice and 1¼ cups (300 ml) water to a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil, cover, turn the heat to low, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes. The rice should be cooked through but still hold its shape.
Soak the malt powder. While the rice cooks, stir the malted barley powder into 8 cups (1.9 L) warm water in a large bowl. Let it stand for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice so the powder is evenly wetted. The water will become cloudy as the malt disperses.
Strain and let the extract settle. Pour the malt mixture through a fine-mesh sieve lined with clean cheesecloth or a thin, clean kitchen cloth into a large bowl or pot. Press the damp grains gently to release liquid, but do not force the gritty sediment through. Let the strained liquid stand undisturbed for 20 minutes, then carefully pour the clearer liquid into a clean rice cooker, leaving the heavier sediment behind.
Combine the rice and malt liquid. Add the cooked rice to the rice cooker and stir once to separate any large clumps. Cover and use the cooker’s warm setting for about 4 hours. For food safety, check the liquid with a food thermometer and keep it at or above 140°F (60°C) throughout this hold. A temperature around 140–150°F (60–66°C) supports the malt’s conversion while keeping the mixture hot; do not use a setting that lets it sit lukewarm. If your cooker cannot maintain that temperature, do not leave the rice mixture warming in it.
Check for sweetness and floating grains. After about 4 hours, look for some rice grains floating at the surface and taste a spoonful of the liquid after cooling it briefly. The liquid should taste noticeably sweeter than it did before the warm rest. If it is still bland and the cooker is holding the proper temperature, continue for 30-minute intervals and check again. Do not keep extending the rest indefinitely; once sweet, move promptly to the next step.
Separate the grains and boil the drink. Lift out about 1 cup of the floating rice grains with a slotted spoon and set them aside in a clean covered container in the refrigerator. Pour the remaining mixture through a sieve into a large saucepan, catching and reserving any rice you want in the drink. Add the sugar and sliced ginger, if using. Bring the liquid to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then simmer for 5 minutes. This boiling step stops the malt’s enzyme activity and gives the drink a clean, stable sweetness.
Cool and dilute. Remove the ginger slices. Stir in the 4 cups (950 ml) cold water. Transfer the drink to shallow, clean containers and cool it promptly; set the containers in an ice bath if needed, then refrigerate within 2 hours. Chill for at least 3 hours, until thoroughly cold. Keep the reserved rice grains chilled separately and add them to the drink just before serving, or portion a spoonful into each glass.
Serve. Stir the chilled drink, since a little rice starch can settle. Pour into glasses over ice if desired and top with a few reserved rice grains and pine nuts. Taste and add a little more cold water if you prefer a lighter drink.

Tips

Look for the right malt. Yeotgireum is finely or coarsely ground sprouted barley used for Korean malt drinks. It is sold at Korean and other Asian grocery stores, often in a bag labeled barley malt powder. Ordinary barley flour, malted milk powder, and barley tea are not equivalent: they will not provide the same enzymes or flavor. If you cannot find yeotgireum, a packaged sikhye mix is a convenient alternative, but follow its directions because the proportions and sweetness may differ.
Strain gently. A little cloudy malt liquid is normal, but pressing hard on the settled sediment can make the finished drink gritty. Cheesecloth or a clean, thin cotton cloth catches finer particles than a standard sieve alone. Pour slowly when transferring the settled extract so the sediment stays at the bottom of the bowl.
Watch the warm hold, not just the clock. Rice cookers vary, and a warm light does not guarantee that the food is hot enough. Use a thermometer to verify the temperature. If the mixture drops below 140°F (60°C), do not continue holding it lukewarm; bring it promptly to a boil, cool it safely, and use a different method next time. A higher temperature can also make the drink less sweet by reducing enzyme activity.
Adjust sweetness only after the malt rest. The rice and malt create the drink’s characteristic flavor, while sugar makes the sweetness predictable. Start with the listed amount, then dilute or sweeten the boiled liquid to taste before chilling. Reducing the sugar is easy; adding more after the drink is cold takes longer to dissolve.

Serving Suggestions

Sikhye is served cold, often as a small dessert drink after a Korean meal or as a refreshing treat during a celebration. Pour it into clear glasses so the pale grains are visible, and spoon a few grains into each serving. A few pine nuts are a familiar garnish, but they are optional; leave them off for anyone avoiding nuts. Ice is welcome on a warm day, though it will dilute the flavor as it melts, so chill the drink thoroughly first.

The drink can also be served in small cups alongside fruit, rice cakes, or a simple dessert. Its sweetness is mild rather than syrupy, so it can follow a meal without needing an elaborate accompaniment. If serving a group, keep the pitcher refrigerated and pour individual portions as needed instead of leaving it on the table for a long stretch. Stir gently before each pour so the rice grains are distributed evenly.

Variations

Ginger sikhye: Simmer the sliced ginger with the strained drink as directed for a gentle warming aroma. Use a smaller piece for a subtle note, or omit it for a cleaner barley-and-rice flavor. Ginger is common in some versions, but recipes differ by household and region.

Less-sweet sikhye: Begin with ½ cup (100 g) sugar instead of ¾ cup (150 g), then taste the hot liquid after the malt rest and add more if needed. The malt extract itself should contribute sweetness, but the result varies with the barley powder and the temperature of the warm hold.

More rice in each glass: Reserve 1½ cups of the rice grains instead of 1 cup, or add a spoonful of freshly cooked short-grain rice to each glass. Keep any added rice refrigerated and serve it with the drink; it will make the texture heartier and less like a clear punch.

Lightly flavored version: Leave out the ginger and garnish, then dilute with a little extra cold water if the flavor feels concentrated. Some cooks use toasted pine nuts; others serve the drink plain. For a packaged shortcut, use a Korean sikhye concentrate or mix, following the package directions rather than treating it as a one-for-one replacement for malt powder.

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerate the finished drink and the reserved rice grains in separate covered containers within 2 hours of cooking. Sikhye is best within 3 days for its fresh flavor and clear texture; discard it sooner if it develops an unusual smell, fizz, or change in appearance. Do not leave a pitcher at room temperature for a long gathering. For longer storage, freeze the drink without the rice grains in a freezer-safe container, leaving room for expansion, for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator and stir well; freezing may make the texture slightly less smooth.

This is a drink meant to be served cold, so reheating is not necessary. If you want to serve it warm, heat only the portion you plan to drink in a saucepan until steaming, then serve it promptly; do not repeatedly warm and cool the full batch. The grains may soften further when heated. Keep the remaining portion refrigerated, and do not use room-temperature storage as a preservation method.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Korean rice drink called?
Sikhye is the common name for this sweet Korean rice drink. It is made by resting cooked rice in an extract of malted barley, then boiling and chilling the sweetened liquid. You may also see the name romanized as shikhye.

Why did my sikhye not become sweet?
The malt enzymes may not have had enough time or the mixture may have been too hot or too cool. Check that you used malted barley powder intended for sikhye, not barley flour or barley tea, and verify the warm-hold temperature with a thermometer. A properly warm rest should gradually make the liquid sweeter; the exact time can vary with the cooker and malt.

Do the rice grains have to float?
No. Floating grains are a traditional visual clue that some starch has broken down, but not every grain rises, and floating alone does not prove the drink is ready. Taste a cooled spoonful of the liquid as well. When it has a clear, gentle sweetness, separate the grains and boil the liquid.

Can I make sikhye without a rice cooker?
A rice cooker is convenient because its warm setting can hold the mixture steadily, but you need a method that maintains at least 140°F (60°C) and does not overheat it. A temperature-controlled appliance may work if you monitor the liquid with a thermometer. Avoid leaving the mixture in an oven or slow cooker unless you can verify that it stays in the appropriate range.

Can I use brown rice or another grain?
Short-grain white rice is the usual choice because it cooks tenderly and gives the drink its familiar appearance. Brown rice can be used, but its firmer texture and stronger flavor change the result, and it may not break down in the same way during the malt rest. Cook any substitute fully before combining it with the malt liquid.

Can I make it less sweet or leave out the ginger?
Yes. Use less sugar, taste the boiled liquid, and adjust before chilling; ginger is optional and can simply be omitted. The malt rest still gives the drink a mild sweetness, so the final sugar amount is a matter of preference. For the most reliable result, do not reduce the malt powder or shorten the warm rest to control sweetness.

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Safety notes: safe minimum internal temperatures from USDA FSIS; raw and undercooked fish guidance from the U.S. FDA. Food safety notes

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