ACAR JELATAH - PINEAPPLE & CUCUMBER SALAD
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| ACAR JELATAH - MALAY PINEAPPLE & CUCUMBER SALAD |
When a rich dish like Nasi Biryani, Nasi Minyak are served with decadent side dishes like Ayam Masak Merah, Beef Rendang, Chicken Rendang then there comes a simple instant salad - Acar Jelatah or Acar Timun Nenas as a condiment. It is one of my favourite local condiment. Acar Jelatah - crunchy, tangy and refreshing, that it goes perfectly with any Malay dishes, as it cuts through some richness from the curries like Rendang, Biryani or heavy meat dishes.
Acar Jelatah is usually made up of Cucumber, Pineapple, Onions, Carrots and Red chilli. This is a quick fix recipe, and can be incorporated within minutes. It's so easy to make and goes well with rice dishes like Nasi Biryani, Nasi Minyak, Nasi Tomato, Nasi Kuning etc., Any leftovers can be stored in a clean dry jar for a day or two in the refrigerator. But I personally recommend not to store to it, as it tends to ooze out a lot of water from the vegetables and fruits in the acar/salad. It tastes good when fresh with all the freshness & crunchiness.
How I came to make this Acar is along with my food conquest. I got acquainted with this dish in a small restaurant in our neighbourhood - an all women restaurant. A no name Warung kind of restaurant in Jalan Masai Lama behind the Petron Station, but we named the restaurant as" Biriyani Friday only Ma"! One of our friends said that their Biriyani is very tasty, and we went there for lunch one day. To our disappointment, she said that they serve Biriyanis only on Fridays (" Biriyani Friday only, Ma"!). Later we did try their Biriyani, and there have been numerous visits and numerous plates of Biriyanis since then.
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| ACAR JELATAH - MALAY PINEAPPLE & CUCUMBER SALAD |
They usually serve their Biriyani along with this Acar. We had always called this as Salad, as it has a mixture of Pineapple, Cucumber, Onion, Carrots and Red Chillies, later to realize that it is called as Acar Timun or Acar Nenas or Acar Jelatah. And my husband's colleague Abu's Nasi Biriyani and our all-time favourite Ayam Masak Merah is usually served with Acar Jelatah. So there I got to know that Malay Style Rice dishes are mostly served with a Pickle or the ones locally called as Acar.
As simple as the recipe, the ingredients also seemed to be straightforward. The tanginess in the Acar/Salad comes from Vinegar, and I use Rice Wine Vinegar for the purpose. When it comes to the ingredients you can simple stick on to two or three ingredients like Cucumber, Onions and Red Chillies or go to the extent of combining up it with Pineapples, Carrots etc., Acar Jelatah as itself elevates its taste with a combined note of sweetness, crunchiness laced with a mild note of spiciness and tanginess. It is one best Acar/Salad which goes well with rich rice dishes like Biriyanis & Pilafs.
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Cuisine - Malaysia (South East Asian)
Course - Condiment
Spice Level -Medium
Difficulty - Easy
Serves - 3- 4
Author - SM
Preparation Time - 15 - 20 Minutes
HOW TO MAKE ACAR JELATAH - MALAY PINEAPPLE & CUCUMBER SALAD
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| ACAR JELATAH MALAY PINEAPPLE & CUCUMBER SALAD |
INGREDIENTS:
For Acar Jelatah:
Pineapple - 1 CupCucumber - 1 Cup
Onion - 1 Big
Fresh Red Chillies - 1 No.
For Pickling:
Rice Wine Vinegar - 1 TablespoonLime Juice - 1 Tablespoon
Sugar - 2 Tablespoons
Salt - To Taste
METHOD:
For Acar Jelatah:
- Mix all the ingredients mentioned under "For Pickling" in a bowl.
- Mix well until the sugar dissolves and keep it aside.
- Clean, peel, core and Cut the Pineapple into four, length wise and then cut it into thin slices.
- Wash, and cut off the ends of the Cucumber and then cut it into thin slices.
- Peel, clean and wash the Onions and cut them into thin slices.
- Cut Red Chillies into thin slices & keep them aside.
- Put Pineapple, Cucumber, Onions and Red Chillies into a large bowl, give a quick toss.
- Then pour in the pickling solution and gently toss it up until well combined.
- Leave this aside for about 10-15 minutes.
- I leave this Acar Jelatah in the refrigerator until I serve them.
- Can store any left over Acar Jelatah in a clean and dry jar for a day or two.
- But I personally do not recommend doing so, as it doesn't retain the freshness and crunchiness when store for a long time.
- Serve Acar Jelatah along with rich rice dishes like Nasi Biryani, Nasi Minyak, Nasi Tomato, Nasi Kuning etc.,
NOTES:
- Acar Jelatah is usually made with a combination of the above vegetables and pineapple. Some even serve this Acar without Pineapples - Acar Timun(Cucumber).
- I have not added Carrots in this recipe. Can add carrots too.
- I have used the long variety Red Chillies, can also use Red Bird's eye Chillies, adjust accordingly.
- I have added both Vinegar and Lime Juice for the needed tanginess in the Acar/Salad. Adjust accordingly.
- Can use white sugar or powdered Gula Melaka instead of brown sugar.
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