Since this is chutney week, I was asked to make one. However, I feel that we've covered quite a lot of chutneys in Magnificent 7 so my sister suggested an acar. No one can quite pinpoint the difference between the two. They both use a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, sometimes are cooked or not, some have vinegar or sugar. The Indian 'achar' means pickle but there are some aspects of chutney that is pickled too.

One source says that 'achar' uses oil as a pickling agent. However to us Malays, we never keep our acar that long because it's usually eaten quite fresh but there is some aspects of pickling to the method and if desired, in the bottling. At any rate my sister reckons that a chutney is usually sweeter while acar's are usually spicier and definitely on the savoury side.

This is a recipe from our family cook who also caters for Malay weddings in our corner of Ipoh. Her acar rampai is legendary. Nothing is more enticing to the palate than the sour-sweet-tangy-crunch of a good acar rampai. It resembles a Nyonya acar awak except we don't usually have cabbage in ours. Acar rampai is almost an essential component in Malay weddings. This is because it keeps well due to the vinegar and does not turn soggy- a really important factor when you take into consideration that Malay weddings last for an entire weekend and guests come and go and perpetually eat.


Ingredients:
1 cucumber
2 carrots
1/2 sengkuang (jicama)
6 long beans
2 red chillies
2 green chillies
10 shallots
1 tsp 'kapur' (found in Indian shops usually used in chewing betel leaf) soaked in 3 cups water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbs vinegar
4 tbs oil
2 tsb chilli paste
Sesame seeds
To blend:
1 cup groundnuts
5 cloves garlic
1 red onion
1 inch ginger
3 candlenuts

"Good just eaten on it's own!"

Method:


Slice cucumber, carrots, chillies and sengkuang lengthwise, then about an inch long. Chop long beans to about the same size.
Add shallots and soak them in "kapur' water for 15 minutes (this keeps them crunchy but if you can't find any, just opt it out).
Then mix in salt, brown sugar, turmeric and vinegar- let the vegetables soak this up for another 15 minutes.
Dry roast peanuts and pound them roughly.

Heat oil and fry blended ingredients until a little crispy. Add in chilli paste and fry until fragrant.
Add in peanuts keeping a tablespoon aside.
Add in vegetables and toss until well covered in peanut paste.
Toss in the peanuts set aside and sesame seeds.

Results:

Adjust the taste while you are cooking. Sometimes you need to add more brown sugar or vinegar. You are looking for a balance between sour and sweet.
Don't cook it so long. The vegetables should keep their colour and vibrancy.
If it looks a little on the dry side as you are cooking it, you can also add a little more oil.



Chef Says:
This goes a treat with some ayam masak merah and nasi minyak, although everyone in my family can just eat it on its own as an appetizer or snack.

Don't keep this for more than two weeks. It's best eaten within a few days of making it.