La la la la la la la LA LAAAAAAAAAH. La la la la la la la. LA. LA. LAAAAAAHHHHHHH.
Sing along with me, the Rhubarb Kimchi Song. As Plum Kimchi heralded autumn, Rhubarb Kimchi will greet the spring. La La lalalalalalahhhh.
I pulled some stalks from a perennial bed I’d made last year. Everything’s come up again, which is satisfying for a not-great gardener like me.
Removed the poisonous leaves, and sliced the pink stalks.
And added some sea salt, some orange zest, and juice of that orange. And some spring onions.
And massaged the mix with a paste of chilli powder, garlic, ginger, onion seeds (kalonji/ nigella), and a little sugar.
And smushed it down in a jar. (The jar doesn’t need to be covered with a lid actually. And I’ll keep it on a plate, because in the next few days the fluid is going to rise and fall.)
Rhubarb Kimchi Recipe
Mix together:
12 oz/ 3ish cups sliced rhubarb (about 8 med stalks)
a bundle of spring onions (scallions), sliced
2 tablespoons sea salt
Juice of an orange, and its zest
Make a paste and massage into the mix:
3 generous tablespoons hot pepper powder, Korean the best!
5 cloves garlic, minced
a mini-thumb of ginger, grated
(Wild Garlic leaves would be gorgeous in here!)
a teaspoon of sugar (if you are someone who doesn’t mind sugar)
3 tablespoons onion seed (I thought the bitter would be fab with the sour of the rhubarb)
Mush down in a crock or jar and so that liquid rises to the top. Keep the jar on a saucer in case it overflows. Keep in a cool place, and eat in a few days, or store in a very cool place when fully fermented.
La la lalalalala laaaaaahhhhhh— it’s tangy and sour and spicy right away, and every half hour interval you can wait for a nibble, it gets better and better. New heights for rhubarb, and for kimchi, two joy-producing foods indeed.
PS– I must cite yesterday’s perusal of this wonderful Indian rhubarb aachar-style pickle as an inspiration. Can’t wait to try this as my next Rhubarb Reverie.
Kitchen Counter Culture 
Pure genius!! I am so making this.
There is no turning back 🙂
Just realised earlier that the rhubarb is up in the garden. I’m going to try this. 🙂
P.S. Where do you get your Korean hot pepper powder? Thanks.
Hello. The Korean hot pepper powder, from an Asian grocery in a city, but other chilli powder would work– just the Korean stuff has a brightness and beautiful colour too. You could grind dried chills? Or am thinking fresh chilli peppers would be delicious too!
My rhubarb is not quite up yet, but will get around to this when it does. Fab post!
Brilliant! I never know what to do with rhubarb as I don’t like all the sweetness it usually requires. This is the answer!
Reblogged this on Real Food Lover and commented:
I never know what to do with rhubarb (don’t like all the sweetness needed to make it palatable) so this is a welcome recipe from Annie Levy’s Kitchen Counter Culture blog.
Rhubarb grows plentifully now in the ‘hungry gap’ when the UK’s productivity of fresh produce is at its lowest.
Since Annie Levy introduced me to kimchi via a jar of plum kimchi sent by post, I make it regularly . This Korean condiment combines two fine attributes: zingy-taste and digestion-soother. Now with rhubarb, a third quality can be added: super-seasonal.
Rhubarb kimchi is the answer!
Really Unique Recipe. Never thought the combination! 😉 Thanks for sharing!
we also have plenty of rhubarb in the garden. I might give this a go!
Love it! Rhubarb Kimchi sounds so fun~
Thank you!
[…] cooking. It had just never occurred to me to puree a little kimchi into a dressing, for all my enthusiasm and passion. This time I used some old Brussel Sprout Kimchi I’d made after Christmas that […]
[…] can find usual proportions on this Plum Kimchi recipe though I still think the Rhubarb Kimchi was my best yet. I seem to use tamari more often these days as I like to be able to share kimchi […]
If one where so weird as to not like spicy (as in “hot”) food, would sweet paprica be an appropriate substitute for the chili?
I like that idea. There are versions of chili that are not hot. The custom of fermenting veg in this way predates the arrival of chilis in Korea. I would say always feel free to experiment and please yourself!
Thank you 😀
Did it bubble lots mine smells great but not bubbling.
Bubbling great when it happens but not necessary– don’t know how it came to be that people think the bubbling has to happen. My ferments tend to bubble in jars with rubber gaskets and not otherwise. Can’t recall if my rhubarb kimchis have bubbled. I would say don’t worry about it. 🙂
Can I make this with frozen Rhubarb. Have a freezer full from my garden, love that this recipe doesn’t use tons of sugar!
Why not make a small amount and try?
[…] Rhubarb Kimchi (Fermented) […]
Fed up with making rhubarb jam and looking for other ideas for using up my rhubarb harvest I came across your recipe. I wasn’t sure about the idea of eating raw rhubarb, but I thought I’d have a go at making it. I absolutely love it!! I usually keep a supply of kimchi in my fridge and this is my new favourite recipe. Next time I’m going to double up so I don’t run out so soon…you’re right about having to keep going back for another taste….yum!!! 🙂
I am so happy to hear! Thank you for saying so.
[…] few tablespoons of Rhubarb Kimchi, pureed, mixed in […]
This looks good enough to eat😉. However, I’m sure you don’t mean 30 kg = 8 stalks… just thought you might like to amend your measurement
thank you thank you thank you
[…] and cardamom from the book Fermented Vegetables. The other, an interesting take on kimchi based on this recipe but quadrupled in size and toned down in heat for the […]
Oh My God!
I’m super keen to try this, but as I’m new to fermentation I’m just curious as to what dishes you pair this with.
would be amazing with chicken or fish, dumplings, anything kimchi is good with… in a wrap… just on it’s own… in a salad dressing….