The Korean sweet rice drink often served as a dessert is sikhye.
Sikhye is a traditional Korean rice beverage made by steeping cooked rice in malt water. Enzymes from the malt break down the rice’s starches, creating a naturally sweet drink. It is usually served chilled, with cooked rice grains floating in the liquid and sometimes pine nuts added as a garnish.
The drink is commonly served after meals and is widely sold in cans and bottles across South Korea. Homemade sikhye has long been associated with Korean festive meals and hospitality. A related regional variety, Andong sikhye, is more savory and spicy: it may contain radish, carrot, and red pepper and is fermented for several days.
Sikhye is often confused with sujeonggwa, another Korean dessert drink. Sujeonggwa is a cinnamon-and-ginger punch frequently containing dried persimmon, whereas sikhye’s defining ingredients are malt and rice. Although some names for sikhye translate loosely as “sweet wine,” the familiar dessert version is generally nonalcoholic.