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Why It Works
- Infusing the milk with boricha—toasted barley tea—gives it a rich, earthy flavor.
- Blending and straining the milk and boricha mixture ensures the pudding is smooth.
- Cornstarch thickens the pudding and gives it its velvety texture.
Boricha—Korean toasted barley tea—is a comforting beverage no matter the season. In the fall and winter, I sip on the hot tea to stay warm, and in the summertime, I enjoy it straight out of the fridge as a crisp, refreshing beverage. The tea has rich, nutty notes, with a subtle sweetness and bitterness that cuts through heavy, hearty meals and lends itself well to desserts.
I got the idea for this pudding one afternoon when I was craving toasted rice ice cream from Noona, a popular New York–based ice cream brand that specializes in flavors that, according to their site, have “Asian American flair,” such as taro, black sesame, and pandan coconut crunch. Made with pan-roasted rice, their toasted rice ice cream is deeply earthy, with a flavor not unlike that of boricha. I wondered what would happen if I infused milk with boricha. Instead of making ice cream from scratch—a project I did not feel like taking on—I decided to make a boricha pudding. After making batches and batches of pudding, I finally landed on a version that has since become my go-to dessert. It’s creamy and rich with the nutty, grassy notes of boricha, and a touch of sugar enhances the barley’s natural sweetness.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Because boricha is already toasted, there was no need for me to toast it—all I had to do was incorporate it into the pudding. The question was: How? I started by brewing a highly concentrated cup of the finely ground barley tea and stirring that into the milk mixture. This, however, proved to be much too bitter, and resulted in a tea that almost tasted like coffee. I found that steeping the whole grains (instead of finely ground barley) in the milk for 30 minutes—then blending and straining it—produced a more balanced flavor. As the strained milk mixture simmers, I whisk cornstarch, sugar, and salt into it, and cook it until it’s just thick enough to coat a spoon.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Though I like to eat the pudding warm off the stove, it’s also excellent cold and topped with whipped cream. (Once cooled, it takes on a fun, wobbly consistency.) If you eat it warm, I recommend grating some dark chocolate on top or eating it alongside a speculoos cookie, such as Biscoff. If you’re like my mother, a dusting of bokkeum konggaru—roasted soybean powder—is essential, as it complements the nutty notes of the boricha.
If you don’t feel like topping it with anything, rest assured that it will still be delicious even when eaten plain. And if you want even more boricha, serve it with a cup of warm or chilled toasted barley tea.
This Easy, Comforting Pudding Is My Go-To Dessert
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3 cups (720 ml) whole milk
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1/2 cup roasted barley tea, such as boricha (about 2 3/4 ounces; 80 g)
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3 tablespoons cornstarch or all-purpose flour (1 ounce; 30 g)
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1/4 cup granulated sugar (1 3/4 ounces; 50 g)
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1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
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Dark chocolate, finely grated, for serving (optional)
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Whipped cream, for serving (optional)
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Bokkeum konggaru (roasted soybean powder), for serving (optional)
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In a medium saucepan, bring milk to a simmer. Remove from heat and add roasted barley tea. Cover and let steep until fragrant and tea has softened, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
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In a small bowl, whisk cornstarch, sugar, and salt to combine; set aside.
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Pour milk and barley tea mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain mixture into the same saucepan, pressing with a spoon or spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard or compost ground barley tea.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
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Add cornstarch mixture to milk and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to thicken and bubble, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
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Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain mixture into a large heat-proof measuring cup. Divide mixture evenly between five 4-ounce ramekins. If serving pudding warm, let cool slightly, about 5 minutes, and dust with soybean powder and grated dark chocolate, if desired. If serving cold, press plastic wrap against the surface of the pudding and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours. Top with whipped cream and dust with soybean powder before serving, if desired.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Special Equipment
2-cup heat-proof measuring cup, fine-mesh sieve, whisk, plastic wrap, five 4-ounce ramekins
Make-Ahead and Storage
Pudding can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. If pudding becomes too set, whisk in 2 tablespoons cold milk to loosen slightly before serving.
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