I don’t really use a food processor because one of the things I love about cooking is the actual process of getting all the ingredients together and preparing them for the actual cooking. But for this Filipino pickles recipe, or achara, I was thankful that my mother owned one. I chopped the papaya and the carrots in smaller chunks and passed them through the machine to grate. Just make sure that you squeeze out excess water after grating them using a cheesecloth. The pickling juice should be the only liquid in your jar.
To make this even more Filipino, I bought a small flower cookie cutter for the carrots. (Filipinos love playing with their food!) The red bell pepper and the onions were chopped by hand. I don’t have exact measurements for the vinegar or the sugar. Start off with enough vinegar to cover the vegetables in the pot, but it’s all up to you to balance the sweet and sour taste in the end. Season with a little bit of salt to taste. Heidiologies, this is for you.
Ingredients:
1 green papaya, grated
2 medium carrots, some grated, some cut into flowers
1 red bell pepper, julienned
a handful of pearl onions, peeled, sliced thinly
half a head of garlic, minced
1 large knob of ginger, peeled, sliced thinly
vinegar
white sugar
salt1. Combine all the ingredients in a large pot and let simmer until carrots are soft, about 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool before transferring to a jar.
Related post/s:
Pickle some scotch bonnet peppers if you’re not a pussy