ACAR (PICKLED VEGETABLES)

This recipe has been pending in my draft for quite sometime. I told myself that no matter what I need to finish it today.( yeah yeah... I can do it!)  Well this dish is a duplicate of my late mom ' s recipe. Her recipe was special a bit because she used bamboo shoot in her acar. ( And we called this dish as achat in the northern part of Malaysia)I really miss her acar. She used to cook a big kuali of this and we ate this for days. Actually acar tastes better the next day when all the flavored have developed. Its sweet , sour and spicy taste goes well with rice. It is not difficult at all to prepare acar as all the ingredients are easily available and basic ingredients are used.

Acar (pickled vegetables)

Ingredients

3 cucumber

4 carrots

300 g long beans

300 g bamboo shoot( omit this if you can't get this)

200 ml vinegar & 400 ml water 

Blended ingredients

10 fresh chillies

15 dried chillies (soak in water to soften)

20 shallots

5 pips of garlic

1 tumb size turmeric ( can substitute with turmeric powder)

200 ml vinegar( reduce if you prefer less sour)

1 cup toasted peanuts, pounded or blended coarsely

5 tbsp oil

5 tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

1. Wash all the vegetables. Pat dry.

2. Cut the cucumber lengthwise and remove the seeds. Then cut it into 3 cm strips.

    Sprinkle two tsp of salt onto the cucumber strips and leaves it for an hour. The purpose is to draw 

    Out water from the cucumber  to make it crunchy.

3. Cut long beans , carrots and bamboo shoot  3 cm trips too.

4. Boil 200 ml vinegar and water in a pot. Blanch carrot, long beans and bamboo shoot in the boiling

    solution for about a minute. Drain. Throw away the solution.

5. Blend chillies ,shallots, garlic  and turmeric until very fine. Set aside.

6. Lots of liquid should be  drawn out from the cucumber by now. Further squeeze out the water.

7. Heat up 3 tbsp of oil in a wok. Fry blended ingredients till oil surface. Put in sugar and salt and the 

    Vinegar and about 100 ml water.  If you don't want it to be too sour reduce the vinegar always cook 

    to suit  you and your family taste buds. Let it boil. Put in all the vegetables. Give it a few stirs. 

    Off the fire.

 8. Lastly put in the the ground peanut. It is done.

     Note: Apart from the vegetables mention above, you may use cabbage, brinjals or pineapples to     

                make this pickle.( I have tried with brinjals ,it did not taste nice. It was soggy) The choice is 

                yours. 

    

    Sprinkle two tsp of salt onto the cucumber strips and leaves it for an hour. The purpose is to draw 

    Out water from the cucumber  to make it crunchy.  

    The cucumber is ready.

    Bamboo shoot

   Long beans

  

   Carrot

   Toasted peanut....Do not blend too fine so that you can feel the crunchy bite of peanuts.

 The ready acar. 

   Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds if you like.

    When it is fully cooled down  transfer pickle into glass jars and keep refrigerated.

     I love it cold from the fridge. 

  

   This sweet, sour and spicy pickles definitely goes well with rice. I love the bamboo shoot.

   

          I hope you like my post today. Cheers and have a nice day.

           Happy cooking!

   

 

   

SALTED FISH BONE CURRY(KIAM HU KUT GULAI)

Another Nyonya creation! This is a tasty dish. Its saltiness comes from the salted fish bone, it is sweet, sour all in one. This dish reminds me of my late mother. Her Kiam Hu Kut gulai was uniquely delicious. I used to help her in the kitchen, so i picked up the skill of cooking. from her.

SALTED FISH BONE CURRY

The main players in this dish are salted fish bone, pineapple,long beans, aubergine and cabbage.

and of course not forgetting chillies, lemon grass, galanggal, ginger, onions, garlic to be blended to make into curry paste.

Ingredients

300 g salted fish bone, washed, soaked and drained

oil for frying

A (pounded or blended)

10 dried chillies

5 fresh red chillies

10 shallots, remove skin

6 pips garlic, remove skin

3 stalks lemon grass

1 small ginger

1 small piece galangal/lengkuas

B (mixed )

2 tbsp  fish curry powder

1 tbsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1000 ml water

C

200 g long bean, cut into 4 cm length

2 aubergine/brinjal/eggplant, cut into chunk

1 pineapple, cut into bite-size pieces

SEASONINGS

 2 tbsp light soya sauce

1/2 tbsp sugar

100 ml thick coconut milk

METHOD:

1. Heat up 5 tbsp of oil and fry salted fish bone until fragrant. Dish up and drain.

2. In the remaining oil saute A until fragrant. Add in B and continue to fry until aromatic.

   

3. Add in 1000 ml of water and bring to a boil.

4. Add in C(all the vegetables) and salted fish bones, simmer until the vegetables are soft.

5. Add in seasonings and coconut milk.

6. Taste. Dish up and serve with hot rice.

    Try this. I guarantee it wont disappoint you!

THAI STYLE VEGETABLES CURRY

Spices and herbs are an essential part of Thai cooking. Used in combination, they help to bring out the four tastes: salty, sour ,spicy and sweet.
Examples of spices and herbs used in Thai cuisine are onions, garlic, green/red chillies, coriander, galangal, lemongrass, tumeric and kaffir lime leaves
This recipe that i am going to share here is adapted from the recipe book" Thai Cooking  ,made easy"

THAI STYLE VEGETABLES CURRY

Ingredients

A

for the curry paste

2 fresh red chillies

1 lemon grass stalk, chopped

3cm piece galangal, chooped

2 kaffir lime leaves

2 tsp ground coriander

a few fresh cilantro sprigs, including the stalk

3 tbsp of water

B

1/2 head cauliflower

1 head broccoli

3 celery stalk

1 carrot

400 ml coconut milk

150 ml water

1 onion ,sliced

2 tbsp vegetable oil

salt and sugar to taste

Method

1. Put ingredients A in a blender and blend till fine into a paste.

2. Wash and cut all the vegetables.

3. Heat 2 tbsp of oil i a wok. Put in the sliced onion and fry till soft Stir in the curry paste and fry until you get     that nice aroma.

4. Stir in the vegetables, add in coconut milk and water.

5. Cover and let it cook till vegetables turn soft.

6. Season with salt and sugar.

7. Garnish with sprigs of cilantro and serve with hot rice.