Directions

To Prep

1. Soak powdered malt barley in 10 cups of water for 1 hr. Twirl barley a few times to loosen the husks.
2. Strain malt barley in a fine colander or a fine muslin over a bowl. Squeeze the barley thoroughly before discarding the husks.
3. Leave the strained malt water in a bowl and let it rest for about 4-5 hours. You should have the top part of malt barley water clear and the bottom white with sediment.

To Cook

1. Place cooked rice at the bottom of a rice cooker. Pour the top part of the malt barley water over the rice, taking care not to pour in the white sediment at the bottom of the bowl. Make sure that the rice is fully covered.
2. Put on the “keep warm” option in your rice cooker for around 4-5 hours or until the rice granules start rising to the top. Alternatively, use a double boiler at 55-60°C instead of a rice cooker.
3. Turn off the rice cooker and strain the sikhae liquid through a colander into a bowl. Rinse the rice with water a few times and drain thoroughly in a colander. Store dried rice in the fridge and set the sikhye liquid aside.
4. Pour strained sikhye liquid into a pot and add 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and skim off any impurities that float to the top. Simmer for about 8 mins over medium to low heat. Add more sugar if necessary. Turn off heat, let the sikhye cool to room temperature and store in the fridge.
5. To serve, pour chilled sikhye into a small bowl or glass, spoon in some rice granules and sprinkle with pine nuts.