Achar is a spicy, Nonya vegetable pickle similar to piccalilli but with more flavours. It is delicious eaten cold and ideal as a picnic dish. Traditionally, the vegetables need to be dried in the sun, but my version keeps it simple by salting and pressing the vegetables. Use the Nonya Sambal Curry Mix mixed with vinegar and sugar to complete the process.
Ingredients
- 1 Jar of Nonya Secrets Sambal Curry Mix
- 1 Large cucumber
- 2 Large carrots
- 200g White cabbage
- 100g Green beans (you can also add cauliflower, baby Asian shallots, whole garlic)
- 100g Chopped roasted peanuts
- 2 Tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds
- 350ml Vinegar (I am using malt vinegar but you can use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
- 100g Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons of salt for salting the vegetables.
Preparation
Cut the deseeded cucumber (do not peel the skin), into 5cm x 1 cm strips. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sea salt and tie into a muslin bag. Weight it down with a heavy object and leave overnight if possible. This will extract the moisture. Repeat with the carrots.
Cut the white cabbage into bite sized squares (about 5 cm x 5 cm) and the cauliflower into small bite sized florets. Cut the green beans into 5 cm lengths. Salt each vegetable and press.
The pickling mixture is made by combining the Nonya Sambal Curry Mix, sugar and vinegar into a bowl and then bring it to a boil until the sugar has dissolved.
Add the pickling mixture to the prepared vegetables and mix well. Combine the chopped peanuts and sesame seeds and bottle in dry sterilised jars and seal.
Best served after 2-3 days.
