Pickled Green Papaya

The world is divided into two parts: those who love pickles, and those who hate pickles. ....... . . . .. ... . . ... . . .... . .. . . . . . .

If you're a pickle lover, you'd be drooling over this crunchy, sour and spicy pickled green papaya. If you're pickle hater, no amount of persuasion would make you make crunchy, sour and spicy pickled green papaya. Hence, no persuasion is necessary. .......  . . . .. ... . . ... . . .... . .. . . . . . .

PICKLED GREEN PAPAYA (Recipe for 1 kg) 300 g sugar (1½ cups) 300 g white vinegar (1¼ cups) 1.15 kg firm, unripe papaya, with green skin that has a hint of yellow peel, halve, remove seeds and trim head to yield 1 kg 2 tbsp salt 3 bird's eye chillies, rinse and slice thinly After cutting the papaya, you may find that it's too ripe for pickling, and too green for eating. In which case, please proceed to plan B: Buah Paya Masak Titek. Please note that pots, bowls and jars used should be non-reactive. Heat and stir sugar with vinegar until dissolved. Leave till cool. Rinse papaya thoroughly. Slice crosswise as thinly as possible, with a mandolin if available. Sprinkle with salt and mix thoroughly. Leave till limb and soft, about 10 minutes depending on the thickness. Rinse and drain. Mix with vinegar mixture and chillies. Cover and refrigerate. Papaya may be served after turning translucent. This may take 12 hours if papaya is paper thin and not too green. If totally green and not-so-thin, you'll have to wait 1-2 days. Adjust seasoning after papaya is ready for eating, if necessary, then wait at least 3-4 hours before serving.

Spicy Pickled Cucumbers

I don't know if pickles are part of 'normal' eating for other people but they are for me. In these times when everyone is oh-so-busy, is it necessary to make your pickles? Oh yes it is, when I eat the amount I do! Some folks polish off ice-cream by the tub; I inhale pickles by the truckload. To each his/her own, I guess.

I love achar, my favourite amongst tart and crisp preserved veggies, but making it takes some time. When I want something easier, I go for Jacky Yu's Sichuan style cucumber pickle.

Unlike Nyonya achar, Sichuan style pickling doesn't involve grinding and frying spices or roasting peanuts. A few tablespoonfuls of hot broad bean paste, chilli oil and white sesame oil provide all the oomph needed.

Unscrew a few bottles and pour. How easy is that?

And if I want it even easier, I could opt out of cutting up the cucumbers. A few hard whacks from the cleaver would suffice, which is how it's done by the northerners. They, unlike the southerners, prefer a less fussy approach when it comes to food. Sounds like fun, doesn't it, smashing cucumbers with a big knife?

You could, of course, eat pickles as a condiment. A few slices with any meat – braised, roasted, whatever – would be quite nice. Or you could do what I do. Have a heap of pickles with a few slices of meat.

SPICY PICKLED CUCUMBERS Source: Xi Yan Cuisine II, Jacky Yu (Recipe for 12 portions as a side dish) 1.2 kg cucumbers 1 tbsp salt 2 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced 3 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns, toasted and ground 4 tbsp hot broad bean paste 2-4 tbsp chilli oil, to taste 250 g sugar (1¼ cups) 300 ml vinegar (1¼ cups) 4 tbsp white sesame oil Cut about 2-3 cm from top of cucumbers. Rub cut side of each top against cut side of each cucumber till milky substance appears. Discard tops. Rinse cucumbers and dry with paper towels. Trim tails and cores. Cut into batons. Mix with salt. Leave to sweat for ½ hour. Rinse and dry with paper towels. Mix with all other ingredients and refrigerate, covered. Wait 12 hours. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Pickle may be served after another 12 hours.

Nyonya Achar

I learnt how to make achar from my landlady's maid who, when she came and cleaned my place every week, occasionally left me little gifts in the fridge. I'm usually too shy (yes, really!) to ask anyone for recipes but I liked her achar so much that I did. She not only wrote it down for me but also – bless her! – brought all the ingredients to my place and showed me how.

Years later, after I bought The Best of Singapore Cooking, I realized that the written recipe she had given me was from Mrs Leong Yee Soo's cookbook. What she actually made, however, was quite different – and better – than Bibik Leong's, with less oil and more sugar. I guess it's important to "season to taste", which was what I did when I recreated the achar recipe I had forgotten because it wasn't written down. That's why I'm writing it down now!

Achar is a great dish for Chinese New Year, which is just round the corner. When I feel stuffed after inhaling too many pineapple tarts, there's nothing like a sour pickle to reboot my appetite. With a few nibbles of tart and spicy achar, feasting and drinking in the Year of the Rabbit can go on and on . . . like the Energizer rabbit!

Good things must be shared, so Peranakans have the tradition of giving achar as gifts on festive occasions. Bringing wine or chocolates to a dinner party is so predictable, isn't it?. What could be more impressive than homemade pickle in an ornate kamcheng?

The "hostess with the mostess" must look like a swan swimming across the lake – calm and elegant. No one must see the feet underwater pedaling away furiously. And if the pedaling can be done ahead of time, why not? If there's a bowl of achar in the fridge (or under the bed, fermenting away), that's one dish already done.

So there you go, three great reasons to make achar. What are you waiting for?

NYONYA ACHAR (MIXED VEGETABLE PICKLE) (Recipe for 24 portions) 180 g shallots (18 pieces), peeled and washed 1 piece turmeric, small thumb size, peeled and washed 1 piece ginger, thumb size, peeled and washed 3 red chillies, trimmed and washed 4 tbsp chilli powder, mix with 2 tbsp water to form chilli paste ½ cup unsaturated vegetable oil 1 cup white rice vinegar 1½ cups water 2 cups sugar (400 g) For blanching 2 cups white rice vinegar 2 cups water 1 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp salt 1 kg cauliflower, cut into florets 150 g carrots, peeled, trimmed, and cut into thin batons 300 g cabbage, cut into large bite size pieces 1 kg cucumber, trimmed and cut into batons 3 tbsp salt 300 g peanuts, roasted, skin removed and coarsely chopped 3 tbsp white sesame seeds, toasted (1) Use unsaturated oil, such as corn or rice bran oil, that doesn't solidify when it's cold. (2) You'd need a non-reactive bowl or pot that can hold at least 3 litres for storing the pickle. (3) Don't let the turmeric or chilli stain your clothes! Grind or pound shallots, turmeric, ginger and chillies till fine. Mix thoroughly with chilli paste. In a non-reactive pan/wok, stir-fry spices in hot oil over medium heat till fragrant and colour darkens, about 10 minutes. Add vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Bring to a gentle boil. Simmer gently for 1 minute, covered. Turn off heat. Uncover and leave till cool. Bring ingredients for blanching to a rapid boil. Briefly blanch cauliflower, carrots and cabbage in batches. After blanching each batch, liquid should come back to a boil. Spread out vegetables to cool on large trays. Sprinkle cucumber with salt. Mix well. Leave to sweat for 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry with kitchen towels. In a non-reactive bowl, mix everything except one third of peanuts and sesame seeds. Marinade should cover maybe 70% of vegetables at this stage. As liquid is released from the veggies, the 'water level' will rise. Place achar in the fridge, covered. Stir now and then to mix everything thoroughly during the first 12 hours. After 12 hours, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. It should taste a bit spicier and sourer than how you'd like it. Flavours will be rounder and less sharp in another 24 hours. Pickle may be served after marinating for 24 hours, though 36 would be better. It's best in the first few days, but may be stored in the fridge for up to 1 month. To serve, transfer pickle with a slotted spoon to a serving plate, draining most of the marinade. Top with more peanuts and sesame seeds.