Whew — it is HOT right now. Korea is going through it this summer. How about where you are, is it just as brutal? With this heat, today I’m making myself a glass of misugaru. Korea’s got a whole lineup of cooling traditional drinks for exactly this kind of weather, and today I want to introduce you to one of my favorites: misugaru.
For me, misugaru is pure nostalgia — it’s what my mom used to make me on hot summer days after I’d come home from running around the playground, or on busy mornings before school when there wasn’t time for a real breakfast. She’d whip up a cold glass of it and hand it over, and honestly, it was SO good and SO filling. Ever heard of it before?
📌 Okay, so what is misugaru?
Misugaru is a powder made from a mix of roasted grains, ground down fine. Depending on the exact grain blend, the flavor shifts a little from batch to batch. You can mix it with water or milk — both are great. Water gives you something clean and refreshing, while milk makes it rich and nutty, with way more staying power, so it doubles easily as a meal replacement.
📌 How to make it taste good
There’s no big secret technique here — just make sure it’s fully dissolved with no clumps, and adjust your liquid-to-powder ratio to your taste. If it’s your first time, start with about 4-5 tablespoons of misugaru to 200ml of water or milk, then adjust the thickness from there depending on what you like.
Want it sweet? Just stir in honey or sugar to taste — that’s really it. If you’re watching your sugar intake, a low-glycemic sweetener like allulose works great too, so use whatever fits you best.
The misugaru I used was homemade by my mom, so it needed a little extra seasoning — I added 1 tablespoon of sugar. A pinch of salt actually intensifies the sweetness even more, but I was happy with just the sugar this time.
📌 Unnie’s Tip
Since misugaru latte is meant to be served ice-cold, you’ll be adding a good amount of ice — so keep that in mind and mix it slightly thicker than you actually want it. That way, once the ice melts a bit, it settles into the perfect consistency instead of going watery.
💬 Unnie’s Wrap-Up
Sweet, rich, and nutty — misugaru latte really is the best. At around 360 calories per 100g, it’s not exactly light, but that’s actually a good thing here: it’s perfect for replenishing energy after a summer of sweating it out, and filling enough to double as a real meal when you’re short on time. If you ever get the chance, you’ve got to try a misugaru latte for yourself!
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