Filipino cuisine is a colorful blend of Malay, Chinese, Spanish, and even Indian influences. Most meals are served with a wide selection of condiments and dipping sauces, often laid out in little bowls or dishes, so each person can fully customize the meal to his or her heart’s content.
One of my favorite condiments is achara, or Philippine-style pickles. Different regions of the country have their own versions of achara, using different vegetables and slightly different pickling liquids. I prefer the kind of achara served in Aristocrat restaurants—a crunchy, sweet and tangy version using green papaya. And so when my mom mentioned that our family recipe for achara was just like that, I got excited. In fact, I think I might have looked forward to the achara a wee bit more than the Filipino chicken barbecue, because I asked Tom to hunt down a green papaya for me a full two weeks before my planned grilling date.
The recipe is straightforward and simple. The most labor-intensive part of the recipe involves preparing the green papaya. The flesh is usually scraped or shred into long strands, almost like spaghetti noodles. In the Philippines, we use a handheld tool that looks like a larger version of a citrus zester. I imagine a mandoline would also make quick work of it, but since I had neither, I settled for the shredder attachment of my food processor. (Be sure you don’t shred it into small pieces like slaw; we want strands or strings of vegetables.)
The papaya strands are squeezed until they releases their juices or sap, then drained and spread on a baking sheet left out in the sun to dry. After that, everything else is fairly straightforward. You prepare the pickling liquid, mix everything together, and store the achara in clean jars in the refrigerator. Some folks say you have to let it sit for about 4 days, but I started sneaking tastes after just 1 day and it already tasted perfect to me.
Okay, I may have snuck in a taste even sooner than that.
| Achara (Pickled Green Papaya) Serves 12 Ingredients: 1 medium green papaya, about 3 pounds, peeled, seeds removed, and julienned, sliced, or shredded into thin long strands Meanwhile, combine vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small sauce pan and simmer until sugar is completely dissolved. Add pineapple juice and mix. In a large bowl, combine dry papaya shreds, vinegar mixture, and the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Transfer to clean jars and store in the refrigerator. Let sit at least one day before using. |
I’m telling you, this stuff is so good that someone who shall remain nameless used to make a whole meal of a bowl of achara and fried rice.
I love being anonymous sometimes.
I have been hunting down a good recipe that reminds me of the vat-loads of achara that we would bring back to NY after summer vacations in the Philippines! Yours seems so wonderfully similar to the kind my dad’s family would make, though now I’m curious if theirs contained pineapple! You’re so right about achara being so wonderful with barbecues and grilled meats. I remember being so sad when we were done with the last of the imported achara…that would mean a very long wait before the lovely sweet and pickled taste would hit our lips again! Thanks for the recipe and the trip down memory lane!
Liren, the pineapple is optional, but I add it because it rounds out the flavors so nicely, and is actually quite similar to the vinegar+sugar taste. I suspect that because it’s mellower in taste, it doesn’t need to sit for so many days in order for the flavors to meld. Maybe that’s why it tasted good after just 1 day of sitting.
This looks wonderful! Perfect for summer. :-)
This has so many amazing colors! What a perfect recipe for summer!
I adore green papaya salad, but have never tried achara. This would be perfect at any summer barbecue.
thank you, thank you! even though its winter here, i will try my hand at making achara! my Lola made the best achara, but i never bothered to learn. and then i moved halfway across the world, and Nanay went on ahead to the great restaurant in the sky and i’m sadly missing her achara.
i don’t know about the pineapple though, but i will stay true to your recipe first before i try duplicating Nanay’s Visayan version!
- juneypie, from cold, cold Sydney