Image by hannaone: Sungneung
Image by hannaone: Nurungji
Sungneung Toasted Rice Drink
Article by Gil "hannaone" © Copyright 2007-2026. All rights reserved.
숭늉 | sungneung
Sungneung is a beverage made by boiling roasted rice. Next time you make rice on the stove top (or rice cooker) try making a roasted rice shell.
Ingredients
Scorched/Toasted rice
water
Directions
After making a pot of rice make sure to leave a thin shell of rice around the sides and bottom of the pot.
Stove Top:
After leaving a rice shell in the pot set the heat to low and cook until the rice begins to brown and starts pulling away from the pot. Remove the rice shell from the pot.
Rice cooker
With a thin shell of rice remaining, set your cooker to the warm function and leave until rice is mostly dry then place on a sheet pan and place in an oven heated to 370 F and toast until rice is a light golden brown OR remove the inner pot and set on stove top over low heat as above.
Once the rice is completely dried remove from pot and break onto pieces for storage.
Store toasted rice in a clean dry container in a cool dry space. The toasted rice may also be frozen for longer storage.
Make "Tea"
Toss a few pieces of toasted rice into a pot, add water to submerge the rice, and boil for about 5 minutes. Pour the liquid off the rice, or break up the rice pieces and leave in the drink
Serve warm and enjoy.
Note: The resulting toasted rice is called Nurungji, and can be used for rice porridge, sungneung, or broken up and eaten as a snack.
.
Story Time
🍚🔥 About Nurungji for Sungneung
The toasted rice that forms at the bottom of the pot is called nurungji. This crisp, golden layer has long been valued in Korean cooking and can be used in several ways: simmered to make sungneung (scorched‑rice tea), softened into rice porridge, or simply broken into pieces and enjoyed as a snack.
🍳 Making Nurungji in a Skillet
Nurungji can also be prepared intentionally in a non‑stick skillet or stir‑fry pan:
- Do not oil the pan.
- Spread cooked rice in a very thin, even layer—just a few grains thick—and press it gently up the sides.
- Cook over low heat until the rice dries out and turns lightly browned and crisp.
- Avoid stirring or moving the rice; letting it sit undisturbed is what creates the signature toasted sheet.
Once cooled, the nurungji can be stored dry and used whenever you want to make sungneung or add a toasty depth to other dishes.
Find it on Amazon! Purchases made through these links help support this site. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Comment?