This tasty End-Of-The-Garden Achar takes advantage of the season’s final garden harvest, pickled with fresh spices, peanuts, and sesame seeds.
This End-Of-The-Garden Achar is like Malaysian Nyonya Acar Awak in a jar. It is so good and right up my alley. For safe canning purposes, some ingredients may not be included. That said, being able to pop open a jar and have achar, literally on demand, is indescribably good.
Acar Awak In A Jar
Acar Awak has been a family favorite ever since I can remember. In fact, it is one of my Mom’s signature dishes. Mom would make a big batch of it for every major holiday or festival. Yes, she would make it for our Chinese New Year Reunion dinner. I also get to eat her Acar Awak whenever I visit family in Kuala Lumpur.
As such, when I came across a canned Achar (South Asian Pickle) recipe in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving (affiliate link), there was no question of me making it. I did change the sauce recipe to be more in line with Acar Awak. Like I said earlier, I left out the vegetable oil and belacan (shrimp paste) for safe canning purposes. The vegetables used are what I had harvested before the cold weather arrived.
I used a huge zucchini by removing the core. Zucchinis and eggplant will not be crunchy but it is a good way to use them up in this Achar pickle. Traditionally, Acar Awak recipe uses cucumber, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, cabbage, green and red peppers (please see picture above). This year our vegetable garden did not produce any brassicas because of the very wet spring, followed up by the quick rise in temperature after that. Hopefully, next year I will be able to can this achar using more traditional vegetables.
Cooking Oil in Canning
Cooking oil is generally not recommended for canning as it may go rancid and harbor bacteria. Oil also insulates the food and potentially prevents it from reaching the needed temperature in water bath canning. Another reason is that it may interfere with the lid forming a good seal for the jar.
Instead, you can stir in a small quantity of desired cooking oil before serving. We enjoyed it without any type of cooking oil and it tasted just fine. In fact, it was refreshingly light, tangy, and delicious. I made two batches (second batch with just 5 jars) of this achar, some with added store bought green beans, cauliflower, and cabbage. I don’t think this will take us long to finish. 😉
Similar Tools Used in This End-Of-The-Garden Achar
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20 Quart Stainless Steel Canning Pot Set
8 Piece Enamelware Water Bath Canning Set
Ball Regular Mouth 16-Ounces Mason Jar with Lids and Bands, 12-Pack
Ball Regular Mouth Pint 16-oz Mason Jar with Lids and Bands (Pack of 24)
Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
The Complete Book of Home Canning
End-Of-The-Garden Achar
Equipment
- 7 wide mouth pint (16 oz/473ml) jars
Ingredients
- 24 oz lemon cucumber (quartered, remove seeds, and cut into 1½ inch sticks and ½ inch wide) * (675g)
- 24 oz carrots (about 6 medium carrots) (cut into 1½ inch sticks and ½ inch wide) (675g)
- 24 oz zucchini (about 6 medium zucchinis) (quartered, remove seeds, and cut into 1½ inch sticks and ¼ inch wide) ** (675g)
- 12 oz eggplant (about 2 long eggplant) (cut into 1½ inch sticks and ¼ inch wide) *** (340g)
- 12 oz bell peppers (about 2 medium bell pepper) (cut into 1½ inch sticks and ¼ inch wide) **** (340g)
- 3 cups white vinegar (5% acidity) (720ml)
- 1⅓ cup granulated sugar (290g)
- Salt to taste
Spice Paste
- 8 Anaheim red peppers
- 2 onions (cut into chunks)
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 1 inch turmeric root (peeled and cut into slices) (20g)
- 2 stalks lemongrass (cut bottom half 6 inches into coins)
Add-Ins
- 1 cup shelled raw peanuts (150g)
- ½ cup sesame seeds (toasted) (70g)
Instructions
- Blend spice paste ingredients with ¼ cup (60ml) water.
- Toast peanuts in a 350⁰/180⁰C oven for 15 minutes until lightly brown. Remove and blend/process until coarsely chopped. Toast sesame seeds over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Scald prepared cucumber for 30 seconds, carrots and zucchini for 1 minute. Remove vegetables with a metal strainer.
- Also, scald eggplant and peppers for 1 minute. Remove with a metal strainer.
- Wash jars in warm, soapy water. Place a rack at the bottom of a boiling-water canner and washed jars on the rack. Fill the jars about 2/3rd full and the canner up to the same level as the jars with water. Cover the canner and bring water to a simmer (with small bubbles).
- Wash lids and bands with warm soapy water. Drop them into the canner together with the jars. When ready to use, take them out from the canner with a pair of tongs. Dry them with a clean towel.
- Transfer blended spice paste to a large stainless steel pot. Stir fry for about 4 to 5 minutes until fragrant. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Pour in vinegar. Stir to combine. Allow sauce to come to a boil.
- Add sugar, salt, peanuts, and sesame seeds.
- Then, add scalded vegetables. Stir to combine. When liquid comes to a boil, reduce heat and continue to boil gently, stirring frequently for 10 minutes. Turn off stove.
- Carefully remove jars from canner with jar lifter, pouring hot water from each jar back into canner and place them on a towel. You can also remove and fill them one at a time.
- Place a funnel in the jar. Ladle prepared hot achar into the hot jar leaving ½ inch (1 cm) headspace. Slide a non-metallic utensil between the hot achar and inside the jar to release any air bubbles. Adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding more hot achar.
- Wipe the rim clean with a paper towel. Center a warm lid on jar and screw on the band until fingertip tight. Repeat with the remaining jars.
- Carefully lower jars with jar lifter back into the canner. Make sure jars are completely covered with about an inch of water above the lids. Bring water to a rolling boil and process jars for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. The water must remain at a rolling boil for the duration of the processing time.
- At the end of the processing time, turn off heat, and remove the canner lid. Allow the canner to cool for 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove the jars with jar lifter without tilting them. Place jars upright on a clean towel. Do not worry about the water on the lids. It will evaporate during the cooling period.
- Check lids after 24 hours. Remove the bands. Lids should not flex up and down when pressed. You can also grasp the edges of the lid and lift the jar while supporting the jar with your other hand. A sealed lid will stay firmly attached to the jar. Jars that have not sealed properly must be refrigerated and content consumed within a few days.
- Label and store sealed jars in a cool, dark place, and consume within 12 months.
Notes
- * Substitute with 3 large cucumbers
- ** Substitute with 1 lb (450g) green beans
- *** Substitute with 1 lb (450g) cauliflower
- **** Substitute with 1 lb (450g) cabbage
Altitude Adjustment for High-Acid Foods Processed in a Boiling-Water Canner
Feet Meters Increase in Processing Time 1,001-3,000 306-915 5 minutes 3,001-6,000 916-1,830 10 minutes 6,001-8,000 1,831-2,440 15 minutes 8,001-10,000 2,441-3,050 20 minutes
Nutrition
The family really enjoyed this End-Of-The-Garden Achar and I will definitely make it again with produce from the vegetable garden, if God is willing. I am already planning what to plant for next year and cucumber, carrots, green beans, cauliflower, cabbage, and peppers are in the line up. So, are onions and garlic which I have already planted.
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