Sikhye Frost
A thick, creamy frozen slush made from chilled sikhye, the sweet Korean rice drink, blended with cooked rice, ice and toasted pine nuts. It is lightly sweet, malty and nutty, and it tastes like a cold rice pudding you can sip.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 3 min
- Wait
- 10 min
- Total
- 23 min
- Makes
- 2 glasses (about 1½ cups / 360 ml each)
Steps
Before you start
- Chill the sikhye in the fridge for at least 4 hours (overnight is best). Warm sikhye will melt the ice and give a thin drink.
- Use cold, already-cooked short-grain rice. Day-old rice from the fridge works well.
- Make sure your blender can crush ice. A weaker blender may need an extra 30 seconds and a splash more sikhye.
- Shake or stir the sikhye before measuring. The rice grains and sweet liquid settle at the bottom.
Toast the pine nuts
- Put all the pine nuts (both the blending and garnish portions, 24 g total) in a dry 8-inch (20 cm) skillet over medium-low heat.
- Shake the pan often for about 3 minutes.
- Pull the pan off the heat as soon as the nuts are golden and smell nutty.
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Ready when: Pine nuts are light golden with a few darker spots and smell toasty.
Tip: Pine nuts go from golden to burnt in seconds. Tip them onto a plate right away, because the hot pan will keep cooking them.
Cool nuts, chill glasses
- Spread the toasted pine nuts on a plate to cool for 10 minutes.
- At the same time, put two 12-oz (350 ml) glasses in the freezer so the frost stays thick longer.
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Ready when: Pine nuts are fully cool to the touch and the glasses are frosty.
Tip: Blending warm nuts melts the ice and thins the drink.
Measure the base
- Stir the chilled sikhye so the rice grains are suspended, then measure 1½ cups (360 ml) of liquid with its grains into a liquid measuring cup.
- Measure ½ cup (100 g) cold cooked rice, breaking up any large clumps with your fingers.
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Ready when: Rice is loose and separated, not in a solid clump.
Load the blender
- Pour the sikhye into the blender first.
- Add the cooked rice, 15 g (2 tablespoons) of the cooled pine nuts, the honey (if using) and the pinch of salt.
- Add the ice last, on top, so the blades catch the liquid first.
- Set aside the remaining 9 g (1 tablespoon) pine nuts for garnish.
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Tip: Ripe sikhye is already sweet. Taste a spoonful first and skip the honey if yours is very sweet.
Blend until thick
- Secure the lid.
- Start on low speed for 10 seconds to break up the ice, then raise to high for 45 to 60 seconds.
- Stop when the mixture looks like a thick, creamy slush.
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Ready when: No ice chunks remain. The surface swirls slowly and the texture is thick, like a soft-serve milkshake, with only tiny flecks of rice.
Tip: If the blades spin without pulling the mixture down, stop, stir with a spatula and add 1 tablespoon more sikhye.
Taste and adjust
- Taste the frost.
- If it is too thick to pour, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) sikhye and pulse 5 seconds.
- If it is too thin, add ¼ cup (35 g) more ice and blend 15 seconds.
- Add a tiny pinch more salt if the flavor seems flat.
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Ready when: The frost slowly falls off a spoon in a thick ribbon.
Pour and garnish
- Take the glasses out of the freezer and divide the frost between them, about 1½ cups (360 ml) each.
- Scatter the reserved toasted pine nuts over the top.
- Serve immediately with wide straws or long spoons.
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Ready when: Frost holds a soft peak in the glass and the pine nuts sit on top.
Tip: Serve within 5 minutes. The frost melts and separates as it sits.
Good to know
Tips
- Keep everything very cold, including the sikhye, rice and glasses. This gives the thickest frost.
- Freeze 1½ cups (360 ml) of sikhye in an ice cube tray and use it in place of 1 cup of the ice for a stronger flavor that won't water down.
- Add a squeeze of lemon (about 1 teaspoon) if your sikhye is very sweet. It brightens the flavor without changing the texture.
- Blend in two short bursts if your blender heats up. Warm blades melt the ice.
Make ahead
"Chill the sikhye up to 3 days ahead. Toast the pine nuts up to 2 days ahead and keep them in an airtight container at room temperature. Blend just before serving."
Storage & reheating
"Best served right away. Leftover frost can be frozen in a covered container for up to 1 week. To serve, let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then re-blend with a splash of sikhye until smooth. It keeps in the fridge for up to 2 hours but will separate, so stir or re-blend before drinking. Store toasted pine nuts airtight at room temperature for up to 2 days."
Substitutions
- raw pine nuts → toasted blanched almonds or cashews. The flavor is slightly less buttery, but the creamy texture is similar.
- honey → maple syrup or granulated sugar. Use the same amount. For sugar, blend an extra 15 seconds so it dissolves.
- cooked short-grain white rice → cooked sweet (glutinous) rice. This gives an even creamier, slightly chewier body.
- raw pine nuts → toasted pumpkin seeds or chopped jujube. Jujube is a traditional Korean topping and adds a chewy sweetness.