Achara or Atsara is a Filipino-style pickle relish. There are also variations in making achara. We can make use of young bamboo shoots (ubod ng kawayan) or coconut palm heart (ubod ng niyog). But the most common is the use of green papaya.
Achara is a perfect accompaniment for fried or grilled fish and meats.
My favorite is pairing it up with barbecue.
I remember in my hometown, you'll always find this served during fiestas. A jar of Achara also makes a nice gift or give-away for holidays like Christmas.
The recipe below is how my mother cooks it. She always makes this in big batches, so it's not surprising to find some stored jars of Achara when you open the fridge...
Ingredients:
3 cups grated fresh green papaya
1 small carrot, peeled and sliced (or if you want to be creative- cut into florets)
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
2 green finger chilis, thinly sliced (for added hot spice- but optional)
2 thumbsized ginger, grated or thinly sliced
4 pcs shallots, peeled and sliced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly
1/8 tsp whole black peppercorn
1/2 cup raisins
1/8 tsp freshly ground peppercorn
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 to 2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt, or to taste
Procedure:
- Cut papaya lenghtwise, remove seeds. Grate the papaya flesh.
- Soak grated papaya in warm water with 1 tbsp salt.
- Squeeze dry using a cloth.
- In a pan, mix together vinegar, sugar, carrots, shallots, garlic, ginger and whole black pepercorn. Let boil over medium heat.
- When vinegar is cooked (about 10 minutes), add papaya , red bell pepper , green chilis. Make sure papaya is coverd well with the vinegar mixture. Season with ground pepper and salt. Adjust sugar if needed.
- Cook for another 10 minutes over low heat.
- Let cool. Store in clean and dry jars.
11 comments:
A brilliant relish makes my mouth water!!
Your achara looks really good and yummy. Love the vibrant colors. Now I am craving for inihaw na liempo with achara! thank you for sharing and thank you for making me hungry! :)
~ ray ~
@Malli
Thank you for liking it!
@wok with ray
Thank you Ray! I planned on storing it for a few days para mas malasa but we can't help but sneak in ..
Beautiful photos... just love the whole look!
The combination sounds delicious. Thank you for submitting this to eRecipeCards.com. Everything worked perfect. Please consider making us a habit whenever you post anything new and of course, you are welcome to show off some of your earlier favorites as well!
Great post
@Inspired by eRecipeCards
Thank you! I love to share these delicious Filipino foods.
Oh my, I'll make some this weekend, we have green papayas here :) Thanks for dropping your link at the Weekday Potluck!
Yummy! now, I have to cook adobo to go with it =) thanks cuz for sharing!
Thanks for joining last week. Join me again this week: http://www.morefoodadventures.com/2011/08/sweet-mangoes-and-fried-sweet-potatoes.html
puede ba sa ubod ng niyog at labong ang recipe mo,thanks
@Anonymous :Yes. Parehas lang po ang timpla.. although labong and ubod ng nyog will require a bit more minutes of cooking dahil masmatigas compared to papaya.
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