I have no idea why, but the pickled cucumber and carrot recipe caught my eye. Maybe it's just that I love pickles so much. I liked the idea of crunchier pickled carrots along with the slightly less crunchy cucumbers, and the optional ginger sounded good.
The instructions for the size of the vegetable pieces seemed a bit confusing. It says the pieces should be about 2 inches long by 1/4 inch wide, but the photo in the book showed that the pieces were more of a julienne cut - so I cut mine about 1/4 inch square.
I used the first optional garnish with mustard seeds and rather than the second with peanuts
Here's how it went:
Pickled Cucumber and Carrot
Acar Timun Carot
From The Flavors of Malaysia by Susheela Raghavan
Used with permission; all rights reserved
- 1 medium (1/2 pound) cucumber, sliced into 1 1/2 to 2-inch-long by 1/4-inch wide pieces (2 cups)
- 1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 ounces) peeled and sliced carrots (1 1/2 to 2-inch-long by 1/4-inch wide pieces)
- 1 cup sliced shallots or red onions 1-inch to 1 1/2 inches by 1/8 inch pieces
- 1 fresh red chile (jalapeno, Fresno, Serrano, cayenne, Thai, or cherry), sliced into 1 1/2-inch-long by 1/4 inch wide pieces
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar
- 7 teaspoons sugar
- Optional: 1 to 2 tablespoons sliced fresh ginger (1 1/2 to 2-inch-long by 1/8-inch pieces)
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1/4 teaspoon black or dark brown mustard seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon chile powder
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoons roasted crushed unsalted peanuts or other nuts
- 1 or 2 fresh green chiles (jalapeno, cayenne, Serrano, or Thai), sliced
Rub cucumber, carrots, onions and chiles with salt and let sit in a colander weighted down by a plastic bag of water for about 15 to 20 minutes, till all liquid is drained.
(Alternately soak the vegetable in water to cover for about 15 to 20 minutes, then drain in colander and gently squeeze out excess water.)
Make the dressing by combining vinegar, sugar, and ginger, if using, in a non-reactive bowl. Add the vegetable mixture and coat well with the dressing.
Optional garnish: In a small skillet, heat oil, add mustard seeds, cover, and let seed pop. When popping subsides, uncover, add the turmeric and chile powder and stir for a few seconds.
Remove from heat and pour this savory oil mixture over the pickled salad.
Or top the salad with the peanuts and chiles.
This post is part of #SundaySupper. Here are the rest of the participants:
- Creamy Bacon and Avocado Pasta Salad by Daily Dish Recipes
- Sweet and Savory Ham and Mango Salad by Rambling Notebook
- Summer Pasta Salad with Lemon Lime Dressing by Mama’s Blissful Bites
- Soba Noodles with Swiss Chard and Mushrooms by Soni’s Food for Thought
- Malaysian Pickled Vegetables by Cookistry
- Wedge Salad & Homemade blue Cheese Dressing by In the Kitchen with KP
- Grilled Cesar Salad with Homemade Caesar Dressing by The Messy Baker
- Grilled Balsamic Pork Kebobs by Momma’s Meals
- Grilled Chicken Lettuce Wraps by That Skinny Chick
- Grilled Shrimp Po Boys with Radicchio Slaw Pescetarian Journal
- Bourbon Soy Sauce Pork Chops and Tilapia Family Foodie
- Green Chile Bacon Cheeseburgers by Damn Delicious
- Kalua Pulled Pork by Juanita’s Cocina
- Mocha Latte and Chocolate Hazelnut Pudding Cups by Mrs. Mama Hen
- Ice Cream Pie by Make Dinner Easy
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream Rice Crispy Treats by Chocolate Moosey
- Lite Mango Coconut Ice Cream with Berry Ginger Topping by Sue’s Nutrition Buzz
- Stars and Stripes Pound Cake by Big Bear’s Wife
- Chocolate Lava Cake Cositas Bonitas
- Mango cardamom Cupcakes Beetle’s Kitchen
- Watermelon Muffins The Meltaways
- Mango Swirl Cheesecake Baker Street