Achar Achar!!

 recipe  by Lily Wai Sek Hong

Her recipe was simple and more straightforward.



 
Ingredients:

Vegetables:
400g cucumber(kirby, japanese or english)
200g carrot
1 pineapple


Vinegar mixture for blanching the vegetables:

300ml vinegar
500ml water
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt

Ground spices :(Blend until it becomes a paste)

8 shallots
4 cloves garlic
2cm piece fresh turmeric root
2cm piece galangal
3 candlenuts
20 dried chillies (soak in hot water)
2 stalks lemon grass
1 tsp roasted belacan

10?5 tbsp roasted pounded peanuts
3 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

4 tbsp oil

Seasoning :

2 tbsp of tamarind(soak with 4 tbsp water and sieved)
5 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
salt to taste

Method:

Quarter the cucumber lengthwise without peeling them. Remove its core and cut into1 inch long strips.

Cut long beans into 1 inch length.

Remove the center stem of cabbage and cut them into 1 inch pieces. Tear the leaves into 2 inch squares.

Julienne carrots into fine strips of 1 inch in length.

Bring water, vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil.

Scald the vegetables following the this order:

1. long beans

2. Cucumber

3. Carrots

4. Cabbage

Remove and drain.

The cucumber and cabbage have to be squeezed to rid of as much excess liquid as possible.

Heat the 4 tablespoons oil in a wok and saute the ground spices until aromatic.

Add seasoning and bring to a quick boil, turn off the heat and allow to cool completely.

Add in all the prepared vegetables. Stir to mix and bottle the acar.

Allow the acar to pickle for a day.

Just before serving mix in sesame seeds and roasted pounded ground peanuts (i throw in the peanut and sesame into the bottle for pickling)