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)
