Penang Acar ( Penang Spicy Pickled Vegetables )
Ingredients:
- 500g cucumber - cut lengthwise with the skin ( soft centre removed ) and cut into 1 1/2 inch strips
- 200g cabbage - cut into big pieces
- 200g carrots - skinned and cut into 1 1/2 strips
- 200g long beans - cut into 1 1/2 inch strips
- 200g pineapple - cut into small pieces
- 100g roasted peanuts - ground
- 100g white sesame - toasted
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon salt
- 250+ 200ml white vinegar
- 180g - 200g sugar
- 6 tablespoons oil
Spice Paste: ( ground )
- 10 fresh chillies
- 5 dried chillies ( soak in hot water until soft )
- 10 shallots, skinned
- 5 ( cloves ) garlic, skinned
- 2 cm fresh tumeric, skinned
- 2 cm galangal, skinned
- 3 candle nuts
- 3 tablespoons ( 20g ) coriander seeds
- 20g belacan ( toasted )
All the above spice paste is to be grinded.
Method:
- Put cucumber and carrot strips into a bowl. Mix well with 1 tablespoon salt and leave aside for 30 minutes. Wash thoroughly with water, drain and squeeze out water from the strips. ( this is to retain crunchiness texture ).
- Fill a large pot with water ( half full ). Add 250ml vinegar and bring the water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt to the water.
- Blanch each of the vegetables in batches for about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and drain well.
- Dry the vegetables for 1 hour.
- Heat a large wok. Heat up the oil and fry the red chilli paste for about 3 minutes. Then add in the ground shallot mixtures.
- Fry until aromatic and the oil separates. This takes about 10 minutes.
- Add the remaining 200ml vinegar, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Then stir in the ground peanuts and mix thoroughly.
- Lastly add in the vegetables and stir well.
- Garnished with toasted sesame seeds.
It can be served immediately but acar taste best overnight in the refrigerator after the flavours have developed.
Keep chill in the fridge. Can keep for about 2 weeks.
To slice and cut vegetables:
Rinse well cucumbers
Slice into long strips
Rinse and skin carrots
Cut into strips
Wash and rinse well cabbage
Cut into big pieces
Wash and rinse long beans
Cut into long strips
Skin a small and ripe pineapple
Cut into small pieces
Ground red and dried chillies
Ground shallots, garlics, ginger, galangal, tumeric, coriander seeds and belacan
Toast and ground coarsely peanuts
Toast some white sesame seeds
Pour the vinegar for blanching and cooking the vegetables
Season cucumber and carrot strips with salt
After 30 minutes, remove excess water and squeeze out as much water as possible
To blanch the vegetables: ( in batches )
Blanch cabbage pieces in boiling water with vinegar added
Then blanch the long beans
Next blanch the squeeze cucumber and carrot strips
Drain and dry the blanched cabbage and long beans
Also drain and dry the cucumber and carrot strips
To cook the Acar:
Heat up 5 tablespoons oil and put in the chilli paste
Fry the chilli paste
Add the ground onion paste
Fry until fragrant and the oil separates
Add in vinegar
Add in sugar and salt
Stir in ground peanut and mix thoroughly
Last, add in the blanched and dried vegetables
Stir to mix well
Garnish with toasted sesame seeds
Ready to serve after chilled in refrigerator preferably overnight.
Can be served as a side dish with Nasi Kunyit or Nasi Lemak with curry chicken too.
SO ....... ENJOY!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(
Atom
)
Posts
Nyonya loves pickled vegetables of all kinds. My Nyonya MIL is a huge fan and she used to make this dish. Nice to eat but a lot of preperation works.
ReplyDeleteYes, it can be quite a laborious task, with a lot of cutting, slicing and chopping. But its worth the effort when you see your family enjoy feasting into it. Thanks for comment Esther.
ReplyDelete