Acar

Recipe: Acar (Malay Mixed Vege Pickle)马来泡菜

Serves: 2 - 3

Ingredients

Ingredients A 100g or 1 medium cucumber 50g or 1 small carrot, peeled 40g or ½ slice pineapple, peeled 3 to 4 red onion rings 1 to 2 TBSP cooking oil	Ingredients B (Blend into paste) 1 to 2 shallots, peeled 2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled 2 thin slices of fresh ginger 1 tsp. red chili powder ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
Ingredients C 3 to 4 TBSP distilled white vinegar ¼ tsp. salt or to taste 1 to 2 TBSP sugar or to taste	Ingredients D 3 TBSP roasted blanched peanuts, grinded 1 to 2 tsp. roasted sesame seeds

Measurements: tsp. = teaspoon | TBSP = tablespoon

Preparation
1. Wash and drain vegetables.	2. Chop off both ends from cucumber. Cut cucumber into strips.	3. Peel carrot. Cut carrot into thin strips. Blanch carrot strips in rapid boiling water for about 1 minute if you cut them thick.
4. Remove core from pineapple. Cut pineapple into strips.	5. Cut red onion into 3 to 4 thin rounds. Then, halve the rounds.	6. Mix cucumber strips, carrot strips, pineapple strips and red onion in a bowl. Set aside.
7. Prepare ingredients B.	8. Grind shallots, garlic, and ginger into a paste using mortar and pestle or food processor.	9. Mix chili powder and turmeric powder into the paste in step 8.
10. Mix the paste until incorporated. Set aside.	11. Heat oil in skillet. Saute paste B over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until oil seperates. Stir in salt. Heat off. Remain skillet on stove.	12. Immediately, stir in distilled white vinegar.
13. Season sauce with sugar to taste.	14. Pour sauce over the prepared vegetables in bowl.	15. Add in grinded peanuts and sesame seeds. Mix well.
16. Done. Cover acar with cling wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Amount of ingredients used does not need to be very precise. You may use any preferable vegetables. Vegetables such as long beans and cabbage need to be blanched in rapid boiling water for about 1 minute, then drain under running tap water or soak in cold water for 1 - 2 minutes. Do not use plastic or steel material containers to store acar because acar contains of vinegar. Keep acar in refrigerator for up to a week.