Japanese Knotweed Curd is a traditional British recipe for a classic preserve made from eggs and butter flavoured with rhubarb. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Japanese Knotweed Curd.
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This is my version of a fruit curd that's adapted from my recipe for rhubarb curd. You'll need slightly older and stouter stems for this as they have a tarter flavour and a deeper pink colour (leave those willowy stems behind). If you want an even pinker result then add a handful of raspberries to the mix (as I did) or cheat with red food colour.
Ingredients:
800g stout Japanese knotweed shoots, washed, tips removed, peeled and cut into 2cm lengths
100 ml (2/5 cup) water
4 eggs
300 g (1 ½ cups) caster sugar
4 teaspoons cornflour
50 g (2 oz) butter
8 raspberries or a few drops of pink food colouring (optional)
Method:
Wash the Japanese knotweed stems thoroughly, peel them with a potato peeler then cut into 2cm lengths. Put the pieces into a heavy-based saucepan with 100ml (2/5 cup) of water. Heat until the mixture is simmering and cook for around 5 minutes until the knotweed is soft and mushy. Beat with a fork at this stage to break the pieces up.
Now you can either strain the Japanese knotweed mixture through a sieve to remove the fibres and use the strained juice to make your curd or you can blend the mixture in a blender or with a stick blender and use the thicker puree to make your curd. Allow the knotweed mixture to cool slightly before starting the next step.
Beat the eggs in a bowl and then add the caster sugar and cornflour, which should stop the mixture from curdling. Now, gradually pour the rhubarb mixture into the bowl and whisking gently, but continuously, combine it with the egg mixture. Add a few drops of pink food colouring if you wish — if you don’t do this, your curd will not look so pretty but will taste just as good!
Pour the mixture back into your heavy saucepan, add the butter and heat very gently for around 10-15 minutes until it has thickened to a custard-like consistency. You will need to stir it often and keep an eye on it.
Remove the mixture from the saucepan and pour into sterilised jam jars (you can sterilise your jam-jar by washing it in warm, soapy water, rinsing well and then drying off for 15 minutes in an oven set at 140°C/120°C fan/285°F/gas mark 1) – it will fill two medium-sized jars. It must be kept in the fridge once cooled and will last for around a week.
