Achar / Vegetable Pickle Recipe

Achar is often described as vegetable pickle which is a very famous dish cuisine within the traditional Malay community. Ingredients such as cucumbers, carrots, cabbage and chillies mixed with vinegar are normally used in producing Archar. This wonderful recipe is often served as a side dish together with boiled rice or even eat it on its own.

Ingredients

1kg Cucumbers
300g Carrots
150g Cabbage
5 Green Chillies
5 Red Chillies
100g Sesame Seeds
1 Bottle Rice Vinegar

Paste

8 Dried Chillies
8 Candlenuts
2 Inches Turmeric
1 Stalk Lemon Grass
½ Inch Galangal
½ Inch (1tsp) Shrimp Paste
35g Dried Shrimps
6 tbsp Cooking Oil
½ Bowl Rice Vinegar
8 tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Salt

Method

1. To make paste, pound dried chillies, candlenuts, turmeric, lemon grass, galangal, shrimp paste and dried shrimps together. Heat up oil and fry the pounded ingredients until fragrant. Add in vinegar, sugar and salt and bring to a boil. Set aside to cool.
2. Remove center portion of cucumbers and cut into strips of about 2 inches long. Cut carrots into strips of about 2 inches long. Cut cabbage into pieces and slice chilies into halves. Wash sesame seeds and fry until fragrant.
3. Boil the vinegar and then put in the carrots and cucumbers separately to boil for about a minute. Remove and squeeze dry.
4. Put in the cabbage and chilies to boil for about a minute. Remove and set aside to cool.
5. Put all the vegetables, as well as sesame seeds into the paste and mix well. Store for 2-3 days before serving.

This dish can last for about a month if kept in the fridge.