Simple & Healthy Sweet Pumpkin Sikhye (No Sugar Added)
Simple & Healthy Sweet Pumpkin Sikhye (No Sugar Added)
How to Make Delicious Sweet Pumpkin Sikhye Easily Without Sugar – Sikhye Recipe
Hello everyone, this is Kim Jin-ok. There was a time when I used to make so much sikhye that I even had a large, commercial-grade electric rice cooker dedicated to making it! Perhaps it’s been years since I last made it, or maybe my fingers are too sore now, or perhaps I got rid of that special rice cooker… it’s been quite a while. Nevertheless, when I decide to make something, I put my all into it! With the Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) holiday approaching, I wanted to introduce you to Sweet Pumpkin Sikhye. While searching for malted barley powder online, I discovered ‘tea bag malted barley powder’! After reading countless reviews, I found no complaints whatsoever. It was around 5,000 KRW for 240g, so I bought it immediately and tried making sikhye. The result? Incredibly easy and delicious! In the past, I’d have to knead the malted barley powder in a cheesecloth or strain it meticulously to let the sediment settle. My, how times have changed! This is absolutely not an advertisement for the tea bag malted barley! I genuinely bought it with my own money and am recommending it because I liked it so much. When you find something good, you want to share it, right? Haha!
Ingredients (Yields approx. 2500ml)- 1/2 medium sweet pumpkin (approx. 350g)
- 3 tea bags malted barley powder (120g total)
- 2L water
- 2 packets pear juice (200ml)
- 2-3 slices ginger (thinly sliced, optional)
- 1 bowl cooked rice (210g, about 1 pack of instant rice)
- 1/3 Tbsp salt
- Honey (add if more sweetness is desired)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
While searching online for good quality malted barley powder, I stumbled upon ‘tea bag malted barley powder’. The reviews were universally excellent, so I decided to purchase it and found it to be both convenient and effective! One bag of tea bag malted barley contains 6 individual tea bags (240g total), which is enough for the quantity needed to make this recipe twice. (This is absolutely not an advertisement; I paid for it myself and am recommending it because I genuinely liked it!)
Step 2
Place 1 bowl of firm, cooked rice (or 1 pack of instant rice, about 210g, microwaved for 2 minutes) into a 10-cup electric rice cooker. Add 3 tea bags of malted barley powder (120g total) and 2L of water. Cover the rice cooker, set it to the ‘Keep Warm’ mode, and let it ferment for 4 hours. While the sikhye is fermenting, prepare the sweet pumpkin.
Step 3
Prepare half a medium sweet pumpkin (about 350g). To make peeling easier, microwave the pumpkin for 2 minutes to soften it slightly. After microwaving, remove the seeds and peel the skin. Cut the pumpkin into chunks.
Step 4
Place the pumpkin chunks into a microwave-safe container, cover it with a lid, and microwave for another 6 minutes until tender. To add natural sweetness without sugar, pour in 2 packets of pear juice (200ml) and blend everything in a blender until smooth. Pear juice not only adds sweetness but also aids digestion, which is a traditional benefit of consuming sikhye, especially after rich holiday meals.
Step 5
After 4 hours on ‘Keep Warm’ mode, open the rice cooker. You should see at least 20 rice grains floating on the surface – this indicates successful fermentation. Carefully remove the malted barley tea bags. Place them in a fine-mesh sieve and gently press them with your hands to extract any remaining liquid before discarding them.
Step 6
For an appealing presentation when serving sikhye for guests, especially during holidays, having some of the fluffy rice grains as a garnish is lovely. Scoop out a small amount of the cooked rice grains from the rice cooker and rinse them gently in cold water to prepare them as a garnish.
Step 7
Pour the remaining contents from the rice cooker into a pot. Add the blended sweet pumpkin mixture and the thinly sliced ginger (2-3 pieces). Ginger adds a pleasant aroma, but feel free to omit it if you prefer. To enhance sweetness without sugar, add about 1/3 Tbsp of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes. Once it’s done, turn off the heat. Let it cool slightly, then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Before serving, float the reserved rice grains on top and garnish with slivered almonds or thinly sliced dates for a beautiful presentation! If you find it’s not sweet enough, you can add honey or sugar substitutes like allulose or stevia. Sikhye can spoil easily, so store only what you plan to drink soon in the refrigerator. For longer storage, freeze it. I had enough tea bag malted barley and sweet pumpkin left to make it a second time, so I enjoyed it twice!
