Golden Vegetable Pickle Recipe

Golden Vegetable Pickle Recipe

(Acar Kuning)

200 g bamboo shoots, cleaned and finely sliced

50 g green beans, sliced

50 g carrots, peeled and finely sliced

100 g raw skinned peanuts,

50 g shallots, peeled and left whole

15 g bird's eye chilies, left whole

50 g cucumber, halved, cored and sliced

50 g sugar

175 ml coconut milk

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Salt to taste

Spice Paste:

50 g shallots, peeled and sliced

30 g garlic, peeled and sliced

20 g turmeric, peeled and sliced

20 g ginger, peeled and sliced

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 stalks lemon grass, bruised and knotted

200 ml vegetable or chicken stock

Method:

Blanch bamboo shoots for 1 minute, plunge into ice water to cool and drain.  Repeat with beans and carrots.  Prepare spice paste.  Combine all ingredients, except oil, lemon grass and stock, in a stone mortar or blender (processor).  Grind into a very fine paste.  Heat oil in a heavy saucepan.  Add spice paste and lemon grass.  Sauté over low heat for 2 minutes or until fragrant.  Add stock, stir through and simmer until half the liquid has evaporated.  Add blanched vegetables, peanuts, shallots, chilies and cucumber.  Gently mix in ingredients until they are evenly coated with spice paste.  Add sugar, coconut milk and vinegar.  Stir through and return to the boil, then simmer until sauce is slightly thickened.  Season to taste with salt.  Remove from heat and leave to cool; this dish as with most food in northern Sulawesi is eaten at room temperature.