Atchara (related to 'acar" from neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia) is a pickling made from unripe papaya which is very abundant in a tropical country like the Philippines. The Filipino style pickled green papaya was and always will be the perfect pairing for anything fried, roasted meat, and grilled viand. Even if it is not a Filipino food you are serving. What makes pickled papaya so very special is that it is made of very firm, crunchy and extremely green papayas as well as carrots, onions, ginger, red bell pepper, garlic, raisins and vinegar. The pickled papaya (atchara) is not just a pickle relish but it is a great side dish. In just a a few tablespoon surely it will add the combined flavors of tart, sweet, sour, salty and spicy. With atchara, everyone will enjoy the meal.
Ingredients
For Papaya
- 4 cups grated green papaya
- 3 tablespoon salt to dehydrate the green papaya
For Vegetables
- 1 1/2 cups fresh carrots sliced into cubes
- red onions sliced thinly
- garlic cloves sliced thinly
- ginger, jullienned
- 1 cup of raisins
For Sugar-Vinegar brine
- 2 tablespoon salt
- 3 cups brown sugar
- 4 cups white coconut vinegar
Directions
In a container, dredge grated green papaya with salt and incorporate well. Cover and let set for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, rinsed salted papaya in a running water while stirring it by hand so that the salts are totally washed off (try a single strand of papaya to check out if the salts is washed off). Drained and squeezed until no liquid runs out. Set aside in a bowl.
In a heavy pot, mix together the sugar-vinegar brine. Heat and boil for 5-10 minutes with constant stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove the brine and let it warm.
In a jar or container, mix all the prepared papaya and ingredients in brine vinegar. Cover the container tightly and store in refrigerator for up to 2 months and above (recommended). The longer the pickled papaya set in a container the more its taste gets enhanced.
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