Rice Tea 숭늉 (Sung Nyung)

Sung Nyung

I would like to introduce a kind of Korean Beverage called Sung Nyung. It is a kind of tisane, made from toasted rice. 

The origin of this wonderful beverage is rather humble. Often, if you cook rice using earthenware pot like the Koreans do, the presence of charred grain sticking to the bottom of the pot would be inevitable. In order not to waste this delectable resource, Koreans will pour some boiling water on it to make Sung Nyung, which is the one I am recommending today.

This beverage is usually taken after meal (as evident from its charred grain origin) as a digestive tea. As some remnants of charred rice grain is presence in the tea, it is most certain that this can be used to dispel wind and eliminate flatulence.

Some recommended cooking the rice before proceeding to toasting but I beg to differ. Pre-cooked rice will not taste as good and the end result is smokey rather than nutty. Not to mention it is a waste of resources to cook the rice and then charred it afterwards.

So, without much babbling, this is my version of Rice Tea.

Ingredients

• A handful of white or any kind of uncooked rice grain (I prefer brown rice).

Method

1. Fry the rice grain (without any oil) in a pan until it is brown and smells nutty.
2. After which, take a teaspoon for a cup-worth of tea (250ml of water). Put in the fried grain first and then pour hot boiling water into the cup. Steep not more than 10 minutes.
3. Enjoy sweetened with honey or 'as-it-is'. It is just as nice chilled or hot.