Recipe for Rhubarb Syrup
The beginning of May marks the harvesting time for Rhubarb (called Rhabarber in German) in Germany. Therefore, this vegetable, which looks much like celery sticks, starts showing up in supermarkets and farmers’ markets from the start of May. Since Rhubarb is not commonly available in India, this vegetable had always intrigued me. Every time I saw it in the supermarket, I wondered how it tasted and what I could make of it.
But, before I cooked anything with it, I read a bit and figured that rhubarb is a vegetable. But because of its tart flavour, it is usually cooked with sugar and used in many recipes just the way fruits are used. I read about rhubarb cakes, pies, tarts etc.
I started by buying a bottle of rhubarb syrup from the supermarket and found its taste quite unique and interesting. It was tart as well as sweet and tasted very different from other fruit syrups. This encouraged me to buy fresh rhubarb and try making the syrup myself.
Before making the syrup, I made Rhubarb and Ginger Jam, and a tangy Rhubarb Chutney, which tasted great with paranthas.
This is how I made my Rhubarb Syrup:
Ingredients needed to make Rhubarb Syrup:
- 5 Rhubarb Stems ( when chopped, approximately 4 cups)
- 4 Cups Water
- 1½ Cups Sugar
- 1 tbsp Crushed Ginger
Method to make Rhubarb Syrup:
- Wash the Rhubarb well. Discard the leaves. Then cut it into pieces. You can let the fibrous part stay.
- In a pot, combine water and chopped rhubarb and boil on medium heat.
- As it boils, you will see that foam starts forming and floats on top. Remove it. I collected almost 1/2 cup of it before I could see clear liquid below.
- Add ginger and sugar. Boil on medium heat for about 15 more minutes or until the syrup thickens slightly. Then turn off the heat and let it cool.
- Use a fine sieve and strain the liquid.
- Discard the pulp and transfer the clear syrup to a clean bottle. Keep in the fridge till further use.
- For making a refreshing drink, combine this syrup and water/soda in a 1:2 ratio. Add some ice and serve. You can also use this syrup in cocktails and mocktails.
About Ingredient sourcing in Germany:
All the ingredients needed for this recipe are easily available in supermarkets in Germany. However, you can buy them from amazon.de too. Links are given below:
Sugar: https://amzn.to/43guVwo
Ginger: https://amzn.to/3oLMwNR
Equipment used:
Cooking Pot: https://amzn.to/43H0SOr
Here is the recipe in printable format:
Recipe for Rhubarb Syrup
Equipment
- Knives and Chopping board
- Cooking Pot
Ingredients
- 5 Rhubarb Stems ( when chopped, approximately 4 cups)
- 4 Cups Water
- 1½ Cups Sugar
- 1 tbsp Crushed Ginger
Instructions
- Wash the Rhubarb well. Discard the leaves. Then cut it into pieces. You can let the fibrous part stay.
- In a pot, combine water and chopped rhubarb and boil on medium heat.
- As it boils, you will see that foam starts forming and floats on top. Remove it. I was able to collect almost 1/2 cup of it before I could see clear liquid below.
- Add ginger and sugar. Boil on medium heat for about 15 more minutes or until the syrup thickens a little
- Then turn off the heat and let it cool
- Use a fine sieve and strain the liquid. Discard the pulp and transfer the syrup to a clean bottle.
- Keep in the fridge till further use.
- For making a refreshing drink, combine this syrup and water/soda in 1:2 ratio. Add some ice and serve. You can also use this syrup in cocktails and mocktails.
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