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Achar Nonya Vegetable Pickle
A dish that takes some work and time, but that keeps for months in the refrigerator. Sun-dry the vegetables if you can; alternatively, dry them in a low oven.
2 cucumbers
2 carrots
350 g (12½ oz) cabbage
250 g (9 oz) cauliflower
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 liter (4 cups) distilled white vinegar
500 ml (2 cups) water
20 shallots, peeled
20 cloves garlic, peeled
6 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted
200 g (7 oz) finely chopped roasted peanuts
Spice Paste
350 g (12½ oz) onions or shallots
150 g (5¼ oz) ginger, peeled
10 dried chilies, soaked till soft
50 g (1¾ oz) fresh turmeric, peeled
1 Peel cucumbers and halve lengthwise. Scrape out core, taking care to remove every bit of the soft “jelly,” or the cucumber may rot before it dries. Cut cucumber and carrot into thick 5-cm (2-in) lengths, and slice cabbage into 2-cm-wide (1-in) strips. Separate cauliflower into small florets.
2 Spread vegetables out on a large tray and sprinkle with salt. Let stand in the sun for two days, until they are dry to the touch and just slightly shriveled.
3 Bring vinegar and water to the boil in a deep pot. Blanch vegetables, shallots, and garlic cloves, a small batch at a time, until they plump up again — it should take only several seconds per batch. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a clean bowl. There should be very little liquid left at the end.
4 Grind Spice Paste ingredients until fine. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat and fry Spice Paste until fragrant, 7 to 8 minutes. Toss well with remaining blanching liquid, vegetables, sugar, sesame seeds, and peanuts and transfer to two sterilized or very clean, dry screwtop jars. Store in the fridge; let stand at least three days before serving as a side dish.
Makes 1¾ kg (4 lbs) pickle
Cooking time: 25 mins
Preparation time: 40 mins, plus drying time
Sambal Blachan with lime Leaf (see photo on page 25)
The essential Peranakan sambal, without which a Nonya dining table is naked. Sorry, but we think using a food processor for this makes it thoroughly insipid.
1 tablespoon shrimp paste
5 red chilies, finely chopped
3 chili padi, finely chopped
3 lime leaves, central vein discarded and very finely shredded
1 tablespoon hot water
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Makes 125 ml (½ cup) sambal
Cooking time: 3 mins
Preparation time: 10 mins
1 Toast shrimp paste over a live flame for about 3 minutes until fragrant, crusty and slightly charred. In a pestle and mortar, grind chilies until fine. Add shrimp paste and pound until incorporated, then add lime leaf and pound to blend. Mix in hot water and lime juice. Serve immediately.
Note To prevent the shrimp paste odor from permeating the house, wrap it in foil and toast in a low oven or in a dry pan for 4 to 5 minutes.
Sambal Blachan with Lime Leaf
See recipe on page 22.
Pineapple Relish
2 tablespoons shrimp paste
4 red chilies, finely chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
1 pineapple, about 450 g (1 lb)
1 tablespoon oil
1 Toast shrimp paste over a live flame for 3 minutes (See Sambal Blachan recipe for instructions). Grind hot paste with chilies and sugar until very fine.
2 Skin pineapple and quarter lengthwise. Remove hard core and slice into pieces about 1 cm (⅓ in) thick.
3 Heat oil in a wok over high heat and fry pineapple slices for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and chop coarsely. Mix well with shrimp paste and serve immediately.
Makes approximately 500 g (1 lb 2 oz)
Cooking time: 5 mins
Preparation time: 10 mins
Kerabu Timun Cucumber Salad
1 cucumber
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons freshly grated coconut
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
Spice Paste
2 tablespoons dried shrimp
4 shallots
4 cloves garlic
3 red chilies
1 Soak dried shrimp in warm water until soft, about 40 minutes, then drain and grind with shallots, garlic, and chilies until fine.
2 Peel cucumber and quarter lengthwise. Remove seeds and core, then slice diagonally across into diamond shapes about ½ cm (¼ in) thick. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.
3 Dry-fry grated coconut in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly browned. Drain cucumber of any juices, then toss with Spice Paste, coconut, lime juice, and sugar. Serve immediately.
Serves 2-3
Cooking time: 5 mins
Preparation time: 10 mins + 40 mins standing time
