Mixed Vegetable Pickle
At first glance these eye-catching chile peppers look like red jalapeno. However, they have a different flavor and are less meaty than Jalapeno. Red Fresnos are great roasted and added to salsas. Try grilling them alongside your steaks or in kabobs.
When roasting these they should char, blister, and become soft. Try substituting these in your favorite chile recipes.
Ingredients:
2 small cucumbers, discard core, leave skin on and cut to your preference
1/4 head white cabbage, discard tough core and cut into bite size pieces
2 small carrots, peeled and cut to your preference
1 handful chilli padi
1 1/2 tbsp coarse salt
Spice Paste:
10 shallots (bawang merah or bawang kecil), peeled
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 in length ginger, peeled
2.5 in length turmeric, peeled
2 fresh red chiles, seeded
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
Walnut sized piece belacan (fermented shrimp paste)
1/2 – ¾ cup white vinegar
¼ tsp salt (or to taste)
3 tsp sugar (or to taste)
1 tbsp toasted black or white sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions:
Put cleaned and cut vegetables into a large bowl and sprinkle over the 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt. Toss well and set aside for 20 minutes, tossing and mixing the vegetables every 5 minutes. Discard juices from vegetables and squeeze the vegetables as dry as you possibly can. Set aside.
Process onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric and chillies to a smooth paste. Heat about 6 tablespoons vegetable oil in a deep pan and when moderately hot, add the mustard seeds. When seeds start to pop, crumble in the belacan and fry until the pungent smell dissipates.
Add in the ground spice paste and continue frying until fragrant and oil seeps out. Pour in half a cup of vinegar and the sugar, stir well and taste. Keep adding until you are satisfied with the taste. Turn off heat and add leave to cool.
When spice mix is cool, add vegetables and stir thoroughly until the vegetables are coated. Taste and add as much salt as you think it needs. Do not add salt until the vegetables have gone in as they already contain salt. Add more vinegar and sugar if you feel the acar needs it. Sprinkle over sesame seeds if using, and stir through.
The flavor should be pleasant and balanced, but with a tangy bite and a subtly sweet aftertaste. Serve with roast meats, fried eggs and ham with thickly buttered bread.
From singaporeshiok.blogspot.com