ROASTED RHUBARB AND MATCHA CRUMBLE RECIPE: SPRING VEGAN RECIPE SERIES 1

 
Image of a ceramic bowl with rhubarb cut into ribbons, white strawberries and small flowers. In the foreground (barely visible) is a vase of white flowers.
 

Rhubarb is SO underrated and I can’t understand why! I mean, it’s a vegetable that acts like a super tart and delicious fruit and looks like Spring on a plate with a colour that ranges from blush to deep rich pink! Though there are 101 ways to eat rhubarb, my favourite is using it in an easy, simple warm crumble!

But, with so many rhubarb crumble recipes out there, I wanted to see if I could give this humble dessert a little spin to make it feel a little more lush, yet still ensure that it has the perfect balance between sweet, tart, crumbly and comforting. I hope this mandarine roasted rhubarb with matcha crumble does just that, but I’ll let you be the judge!

 
Image of a woman's hand spooning matcha tea into a ceramic bowl
Image of various ingredients spread out on a pink surface, including a ceramic plate with white strawberries, some mandarin segments, a small bowl with yogurt, pinch bowls with matcha, sugar and salt, and some rhubarb stalks.
 

Got a question about rhubarb? I gotcha covered! Digging into some FAQs before the recipe below...

CAN I USE RHUBARB THAT ISN’T PINK IN COLOUR IN A CRUMBLE?

Yes, you certainly can. depending on the variety and simple individual variations, some rhubarb will be a little yellower or sometimes even green, yet still ripe and edible! I chose really pink ones because that’s what they had at the farmers market this month AND because it looks extra pretty in pictures ;)

DO I NEED TO PEEL MY RHUBARB BEFORE USE?

When rhubarb is in season there really isn’t any need to peel it. However, if you purchase it outside that period, peeling it can enhance its flavour and reduce the rubbery taste that sometimes accompanies out-of-season rhubarb.

CAN I USE LESS SUGAR IN A RHUBARB CRUMBLE RECIPE?

This is a hard one! As rhubarb is a vegetable, it isn’t very sweet naturally. In fact, it’s rather tart and needs some sweetness to break through that. You could of course roast it in apple juice instead of using sugar, but you’d need to roast a little longer to reduce the liquid down, so things don’t get too soggy!

That said, in this recipe I used enough sugar to make it delicious and comforting, without creating that ‘sugar rush’ feeling if you know what I mean. I was able to do this as mandarin juice is quite sweet and helps cut though the tartness of the rhubarb.

WHICH FRUITS WORK WELL WITH RHUBARB?

Rhubarb and strawberries are a match made in heaven, which is why I suggest it as a pairing here. Another gorgeous classic combo is rhubarb and apple, and of course citrus fruits and rhubarb as demonstrated in this recipe. All three are worth playing with!

HOW LONG WILL RHUBARB CRUMBLE KEEP?

You can keep the roasted rhubarb in the fridge for up to 3 days after it’s been roasted. The crumble in this recipe doesn’t need to be refrigerated and keeps well in an air tight container at room temperature for several days too.

 
Image with a top down view of a pink surface full of recipe ingredients. A woman sits at the edge holding a mandarin and her hand is blurry from movement.
Image of close up view of matcha tea with a spoon half buried in it.
 

ROASTED RHUBARB & MATCHA CRUMBLE

Preparation time: 15-28 minutes

Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS FOR THE ROASTED RHUBARB

450g rhubarb, washed and cut into 2-4cm pieces, thicker stalks halved

100g caster sugar

juice of 2 clementines

1 vanilla pod, split in half

FOR THE MATCHA CRUMBLE DUST

25g caster sugar

40g plain flour

10g oats

1 1/2tsp matcha powder

a pinch of salt

25g vegan margarine

1/2tsp vanilla paste (optional)

SERVE WITH

(vegan) greek yoghurt, plain yoghurt, vanilla ice cream or mascarpone cream

a handful of cherry or apple blossoms

some fresh, seasonal fruit like strawberries (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 175C.

In a baking tin, combine the rhubarb, sugar and clementine juice. Add the vanilla pod. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the caster sugar, plain flour, oats, salt and matcha powder. Add the margarine and rub everything together until it resembles a breadcrumb-like texture.

Spread the matcha crumble mixture evenly over a baking tray lined with greaseproof non stick baking paper.

Roast the rhubarb for 10-15 minutes or until the rhubarb is soft and starting to lightly brown. In the same oven, bake the crumble for around 20 minutes, or until the crumble starts to look a pinch brown around the edges.

Prep 4 bowls with (vegan) greek yoghurt, evenly distributing the rhubarb and matcha crumble dust. Add seasonal cherry or apple blossoms for extra style and enjoy!

ALTERNATIVE SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

If you want a more traditional fruit to crumble ratio, double the crumble recipe!

 
Image of two ceramic dishes with rhubarb cut into ribbons arranged over some yoghurt. Around the dishes are various recipe ingredients and a glass juicer with remnants of mandarin juice.
Image of various recipe ingredients on a pink surface. In the foreground, blurry flowers in a barely visible vase.
 

BEFORE YOU GO….

If you’re looking for more rhubarb recipes why not try my vegan rhubarb layer cake, or my easy vegan pancakes with rhubarb recipe? If you love matcha, do check out my tres leches matcha layer cake, or my matcha waffles!

If you love recipes and are also serious about your food photography, you can find the entire behind the scenes of the above photoshoot inside my advanced SIGNATURE Module 1 online course, which you can find out about HERE.

 
Image of a tall naked cake seen from the side. The top is decorated with flowers that are falling down the one side of the cake.

Rhubarb layer cake

Image is a top down view of small plates of pancakes with rhubarb and yoghurt on top.

Easy vegan pancakes with rhubarb

 
vegan recipe, food bloggingK J Espinel