Why Korean Rice Syrup (Ssal-Jocheong) Is So Expensive | So Expensive Food | Insider Business

Rice syrup is a staple in Korean cuisine. It is used in many savory dishes, and it’s the base of traditional sweets like yeot, or rice taffy. In the US, where rice syrup is gaining popularity as a substitute for sugar, a 1-kilogram artisanal bottle can reach $140. It’s all due to sikhye: a mixture of steamed rice, hot water, and barley malt. Sikhye takes days, and nights, of hard work to achieve. So how long does it actually take to make sikhye? And is this why rice syrup is so expensive? 00:00:00 - Introduction 00:01:06 - Meet Young-goon 00:02:24 - Making Sikhye 00:04:21 - Seesawing 00:05:18 - Cooking Rice 00:07:20 - Extracting Malt from Barley 00:08:54 - Cooking the Syrup 00:10:26 - Finished Rice Syrup 00:11:43- Market and Properties 00:12:47 - Hangwa 00:14:05 - Closing MORE SO EXPENSIVE FOOD VIDEOS: Why These 10 Expensive Foods Are Disappearing | So Expensive Food | Insider Business Why Indigenous Panela Sugar I