Rhubarb Chutney

I love Spring! Beautiful flowers everywhere, longer daylight, farmers’ market open with a gusto, I feel like I see a spring in everyone’s footsteps. One of the things I see every year is the arrival of fresh rhubarb indicating that the spring season is finally here. But, I always put it off thinking that this is for pies and sweet recipes and I am not a huge fan of them usually.

BUT all of this changed when I actually ventured to taste it. It has this wonderful tartness that I was surprised there are not as many savory recipes made of rhubarb! Especially Indian based ones!

So I dutifully chopped this celery like stalk to make a tangy chutney. I know, I know, I am addicted to chutneys. But, they are so easy and versatile! I can’t help it, you guys.

So, what I noticed is that the beautiful red does not go all the way inside. So, there is no way the chutney will be bright red as I want it to be. The tartness will still be there. So, I decided to add in a tomato as well.

One key thing to remember is rhubarb is rich in oxalates, the chemical compound that makes our palette and tongues feel like they are coated in something that you feel after eating a lot of spinach. Though they are otherwise nutritious, these oxalates definitely need to be cooked out. Easy tip to remember: just don’t eat them raw. The more they are overcooked, the better.

What better recipe than a chutney for overcooking rhubarb, right? The minute I added them to a skillet, the chopped pieces started melting away like they are butter. They actually became mushy. I added the tomatoes in chunks to still retain some texture in the chutney. I like to have a bite in my food.

Ingredients:

• 3 rhubarb stalks
• 1 Tomato (medium sized)
• 1 jalapeno or 2 serrano chillies
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• Salt
• Seasoning
  • 1 tbsp Sesame oil
  • 1 tsp black lentil/urad dal
  • 1 tsp dried split chickpeas/chana dal
  • 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 byadige chillies
  • 1/4 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp asafoetida

Recipe:

1. Add the chopped tomatoes and rhubarb to a cast iron skillet and cook them but leave the tomatoes to still have a little bite. Add a pinch of sugar to enhance the beautiful tartness.
2. For the seasoning, take a small sauce pan and heat the oil. Add fenugreek seeds and urad dal and chana dal to the oil first. When they start changing color, add the rest of the seasoning ingredients. Turn off the heat when everything starts splattering.
3. Move the seasoning to the stone mortar and coarsely grind it with some salt.
4. Add the rhubarb-tomato mix to the seasoningand give it a final rough thump with the pestle.
5. Adjust the salt. Traditionally eaten with rice or yogurt rice, it can be used as a relish or spread for toast, burgers, eggs. Thin it down to use as salad dressing as well!