If you ask me for one definitive childhood drink, Ribena is the clear answer. My mother used to offer me a glass of Ribena as a treat after school, guising the berrylicious beverage as a way for me to also get my Vitamin C fix. Fast forward to adulthood, and Ribena still remains a staple, now for a new reason: apart from drinks, Ribena in all its forms also makes for a great ingredient in savoury recipes and desserts.
The Eatbook team has proven this, tackling simple Ribena recipes to make at home, with goodies like Ribena chicken wings and dalgona “coffee”. This festive season, I’m one-upping the Ribena game—to showcase the versatility of Ribena Cordial, Ribena Sparkling, and the chewy Ribena Pastilles. Check out the recipes for a 3-course Ribena meal to wow at your next Christmas party.
Bruschetta is such a staple appetiser at parties. Swap out the usual tomato-and-olive-oil combo, and embrace another classic as a topping instead: onion jam. I often make mine with blueberries as I enjoy how the fruit adds a tartness to the robust jam.
To amp up the berry factor, I use a sparkling Ribena reduction to zhng up the original recipe. Simply boil half a can in a heavy-bottomed saucepan till the mixture glazes the back of a spoon, and you are good.
This Bruschetta with Ribena Onion Jam is also a fuss-free appetiser to prepare, as well as assemble, since there are just three components—bread, cheese, and jam.
You can also keep it for up to five days in the fridge to last you throughout all your festive hosting duties.
Yield: Feeds up to 8
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
½ can Sparkling Ribena
2 red onions, diced
1 cup blueberries
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Handful of herbs like rosemary, thyme, or bay leaves
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 baguette, sliced into diagonal rounds
1 cup of ricotta or cream cheese
Mint leaves
Directions:
As much as I think I am capable of DIY-ing my sauces for roasts all the time, I often find myself taking shortcuts with my best friend: premade barbecue sauce. I use them regularly as a glaze for my pork chops, spruced up with spices or hot sauce for more kick.
A recent happy accident showed me that adding Ribena cordial to barbecue sauce gives pork chops a nice, sweet-and-sour kick reminiscent of gu lou yok meets IKEA meatballs—don’t think too much, it makes sense. Hence, Ribena Pork Chops were created.
Intensify the berry flavours by marinating your pork chops in Ribena cordial too. I’d recommend doing so at least 24 hours in advance. Serve it alongside a roasted vegetable medley, mashed potatoes, or both. To make things even easier, this recipe uses an oven, so you don’t have to hover over a pan.
Yield: 2 servings
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
2 pork chops
½ white onion, chopped
1 cup barbecue sauce
⅛ cup + 2 tbsp Ribena cordial
1 tbsp + 1tbsp olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Directions:
While I love good log cakes on a budget, you can always DIY a roll cake at home at much less of a cost. Inspired by Japanese roru keiki, where the cake is rolled once and packed with a dense, milky cream, as well as tie dye cake art, I’ve fashioned the ultimate crossover: Ribena Tie Dye Roll Cake.
A simple vanilla sponge hugs a dense Ribena milk cream, studded with chewy Ribena pastilles for added texture. While this cake seems effortless enough on paper, there are some key tips to note when making this cake.
First, make the Ribena cream ahead of time, at least an hour and a half before you spread it. You want to set it in the freezer for an hour, minimum before you roll the cake. Don’t go overboard, though, as it starts becoming like ice cream when it’s too cold.
Next, depending on the eggs you use, the sponge can taste slightly eggy, similar to Taiwanese castella cakes. I recommend tasting the batter, and dosing with ½ tbsp more vanilla extract if need be before baking.
For decor, pipe with a thin nozzle on your piping bag to get a more natural tie-dye look. The bottom of the cake is where the design is.
You must always pre-roll the cake warm out of the oven, so it is “trained” to be shaped into a tube. Failing to do this may result in your cake cracking later on, as cakes tend to be less malleable when cool.
Only spread cream on your cake when it is at room temperature, or the cream will be runny.
Freeze your cake for at least one to two hours, or keep it in the refrigerator to set overnight. This is vital to having a tight, stable roll cake that doesn’t ooze cream when cut. You can doubly secure the baking paper roll with cling film so the wrap holds its shape better too.
Yield: 6-8 servings
Cooking time: 2-3 hours
Ingredients:
4 egg yolks, room temperature
25g sugar
50ml milk
40ml vegetable oil
80g cake flour
1 tsp violet food colouring
4 egg whites, cold
60g sugar
340ml heavy cream
50g mascarpone
25g sweetened condensed milk
20g sugar
¼ cup Ribena cordial
2 bags Ribena pastilles, chopped
Directions:
As shown, Ribena can be interpreted in many ways, even tying together a full 3-course meal that works for all your festive occasions. From pork chops to a tie-dye roll cake, these Ribena recipes will impress your relatives and friends for sure. If you’d like to give them a try, you can purchase Ribena from all major supermarkets and online via Redmart.
Photos taken by John Lery Villanueva.
This post is brought to you by Ribena.
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