Stewed Rhubarb with apple and custard

tadah!! This is the fist time I have actually purchased rhubarb!! Never knew quite how to cook it...saw in central market this morning and thought that it was at a very good price...and only upon paying, realised that i had made a mistake...it was $9.99/kg, instead of $1.99/kg....fortunately i had only grabbed a few stalks... :P

The following recipe recipe is from Mrs Dixon and her daughter cooked it...I merely watched and took notes...they are both very experienced and talented cooks!

Ingredients:
300g rhubarb, cut into 2 inch bites (cut off the tail and the top)
1/4 cup sugar
slice of ginger, around 2mm
an apple, sliced into wedges
1/2 cup water

method:
1. Add all ingredients to a pan and boil for around 10 minutes or until rhubarb has gone all soft and stringy. (yes, they do look very much like vermicilli..)
2. Serve hot or cold with custard and a dash of nutmeg powder.

makes 4 small portions or 3 regular ones...we paired it with aroound 500ml of custard.

Comments:
For the custard, we used 'Foster Clark's' custard powder...the traditional way is to cook it over the stove, stirring it constantly...but apparently the microwave is a better option as heat is distributed more evenly and your chances of burning the custard are drastically reduced...:) If you choose the stove method, do let the custard come to a boil...otherwise the corn starch taste will linger and leave a very unpleasant aftertaste.

The taste of rhubarb, for the uninitiated...is quite strange to say the least..it leaves a very 'siab' (hokkien) sensation in the mouth..hmmm...."it makes your teeth feel rough?" That's how Mrs Dickson's daughter described it....(Just found the word i was looking for....Astringent!! :P But that doesn't sound very appetising at all, does it??)

The rhubarb was very good with custards and i heard, ice-creams and sponge cakes as well....
MMmmm...will experiment more with it when prices come down..!

Oh...and rhubarb is apparently very good for the stomach and high in vitamin C, potassium and fibre...you can read more about it here and here.