Acar

Name: Acar
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Malaysian
Ingredients: 2 Cucumbers, deseeded and cut into batons; 2 Carrots, cut into thin batons; 300g Green Cabbage, cut into bite-size pieces; 150g Yardlong beans, cut into 4–5 cm lengths; 1/2 Pineapple, peeled and cut into small chunks; 2 tbsp Coarse Salt, for salting the vegetables; 12 Dried Red Chilies, soaked and deseeded; 8 Shallots; 4 cloves of Garlic; 2 stalks of Lemongrass, white part only, sliced; 2 Fresh Galangals, sliced; 2 cms of Fresh Turmeric, sliced; 6 Candlenuts; 1 tsp Belacan (Shrimp Paste), toasted; 100ml Neutral Oil, for frying the paste; 200ml Rice Vinegar; 150g Sugar; 1 1/2 tsp Fine Salt; 100g Roasted Peanuts, coarsely ground; 2 tbsp Sesame Seeds, toasted

Acar is a bright, tangy Southeast Asian pickled salad that balances crisp vegetables with a fragrant, spicy-sour paste. Crisp cucumber, carrot, cabbage and yardlong beans mingle with sweet pineapple and a warm, aromatic paste of chilies, shallot and spices — finished with crunchy peanuts and sesame for texture. It makes a refreshing side that livens any meal.

Acar is a bright, tangy Southeast Asian pickled salad that balances crisp vegetables with a fragrant, spicy-sour paste. Crisp cucu... Show more

Traditional Malaysian Recipe

Health Grade

C+ · Balanced

Time

1 hr10 min

Price

0,91 €

Calories

336 kcal

low calorie

meal prep

gluten free

potluck

Method

Cut the vegetables

Wash the Cucumber, Carrots, Green Cabbage, Yardlong beans, and Pineapple. Halve the cucumber lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and cut it into batons; cut the carrots into thin batons; chop the cabbage into bite-size pieces; cut the yardlong beans into 4-5 cm lengths; and cut the pineapple into small chunks. Keep the pieces fairly even so they pickle at the same rate.

Salt the vegetables

Tip the cut vegetables into a large bowl and toss them with the Coarse Salt until everything is lightly coated. Leave them for 20 minutes to draw out excess moisture, then rinse quickly under cold water and drain very well. This brief salt bath keeps the acar crisp instead of watery.

Make the spice paste

Peel the Shallots and Garlic. Trim the Lemongrass to the white part only and slice it thinly, and slice the Fresh Galangal and Fresh Turmeric thinly too. Toast the Belacan in a dry pan for 1 minute until it smells nutty, then set it aside to cool for a moment. While the vegetables rest, soak the Dried Red Chilies in hot water for 10 minutes until soft, drain them, split them open, and shake out the seeds. Add the chilies, belacan, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, and Candlenut to a jug blender and blend to a thick paste, adding just a spoonful of the soaking liquid if needed.

Fry the paste

Heat the Neutral Oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the spice paste and fry, stirring often and scraping the bottom, for 8 minutes until it smells deeply fragrant, darkens slightly, and the oil starts to separate at the edges. Keep the heat moderate so the paste cooks through instead of catching.

Simmer the brine

Put the Rice Vinegar, Sugar, and Fine Salt in a small saucepan and warm them over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar and salt dissolve completely. Let the mixture simmer gently for 2 minutes, then take it off the heat.

Finish the acar

Add the drained vegetables and pineapple to a large bowl. Spoon over the warm vinegar mixture and the fried spice paste, then toss well until everything looks glossy and evenly coated. Fold in the coarsely ground Roasted Peanuts and toasted Sesame Seeds, then let the acar stand for 10 minutes before serving so the flavors settle.