How to Make Refreshing Korean Dessert Drinks for Summer

The summer is right around the corner and people are looking for tasty and healthy cold drinks. Koreans have their own traditional dessert foods and beverages, just as other countries do.

Sikhye (rice punch) and sujeonggwa (dried persimmon and cinnamon punch) are among the most famous and popular dessert drinks in Korea. 

Sikhye is also called dansul or gamju, which literally mean “sweet drink.” Sikhye is rich in dietary fiber and helps with digestion, so it makes a good dessert. Sikhye is also effective in inhibiting bacterial growth and reducing lumps in the body.

History says the sikhye recipe was found in the 1800s. Here are the steps to make the drink:

• Mix warm water and yeotkirem (powdered malt) and leave them for three to four hours until the mixture changes to a yellowish color.
• Hard-boiled rice is added to the malt water and kept warm for five to six hours until the rice grains float.
• The temperature should be 60 to 70 F degrees at that time because the warmth is important for the fermentation process. These days many Koreans use electronic rice cookers because the rice cooker’s temperature control can be useful for the fermentation phase.
• After fermentation, the floating rice grains are taken out and rinsed with cold water and saved for later use.
• Some sugar and a couple pieces of ginger are added to the remaining water.
• It is boiled again and then chilled until set.
• To serve sikhye, the liquid is poured into a glass bowl, and the rice grains saved. Pine nuts and dried jujube slices are added and floated on top. Many people, including myself, prefer cold sikhye, but some people enjoy it warm as well.

Sujeonggwa is another popular and traditional Korean dessert drink. It tastes sweet and is healthy as well. Its recipe was found in the history book of Dongguksesigi in 1849.  Making sujeonggwa is simpler than making sikhye:

• First, cinnamon, ginger, and water are boiled for an hour.
• The cinnamon and ginger are removed, brown sugar is added, and the liquid is boiled again.
• Dried persimmons are cut into pieces and added to the mixture to soak and soften after it has cooled completely.
• The persimmons are usually left to soak for several hours before serving because they help thicken the brew.
• Pine nuts are used as a garnish.

My grandmother made sujeonggwa every year. When I think of my grandmother, I remember the tasty, chilled or slightly frozen sujeonggwa with the smell of cinnamon in it.

These days, people can buy pre-made sikhye and sujeonggwa. Also, a simple kit for making sikhye is available at local markets. We can easily enjoy the tasty dessert drinks although they may not exactly taste the way we remember.