My husband brought home green papayas given to him by a friend. He told me to make it into a pickle, and I said later after I sent my toddler to his afternoon nap.
By the time I got to the kitchen, he already grated it even before I can snap a picture! So for reference, I'll just show you a picture here from pixabay:
Green papaya (image from pixabay)
Atchara or Pickled Papaya is a traditional relish of Filipinos. It is served as side dish to any fried or grilled dishes. Its sour and sweet taste will surely boost your appetite.
What We Need
1 kilo Grated green papaya
3 cups Vinegar
2 cups White Sugar
Raisins
Red Bell Pepper
Black Pepper corn
Onion
Garlic
Ginger
Radish (or Carrot)
Spring Onion (optional)
Pickled Dill (Optional)
Yellow Coloring
Preparation
Wash the papaya and peel its skin. Cut in half and remove the seeds. The seeds are somewhat bitter when included. Grate the fruit.
Put 2 tablespoons of salt to the grated papaya. Mix well. This will help excrete juice of the fruit.. Let it sit for half an hour.
Squeeze the grated papaya to remove the water. Discard the squeezed liquid.
In a pan, boil water. Blanch the squeezed grated papaya for a second and drain the water. Let it cool.
Slice and prepare the ingredients.
Cooking Procedure
Put vinegar and sugar in a big pan or casserole. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Let it boil.
When it boils, add the onion, garlic, ginger, red bell pepper, black pepper corn and salt. Boil for about 5 seconds just to release the flavor of the spices.
Add the pickled dill, raisins, radish.
Add a drop of yellow coloring. Cover and simmer for 10 seconds.
Turn off the fire. Add the blanched papaya. Stir until all ingredients are well mixed.
Let it cool.
Put in a sterilized glass bottle and cover firmly. Using sterile glass will help the preservation last longer.
Pickles will taste better after a few days after it was prepared before consuming.
This pickled relish will last up to 2 weeks when placed in the refrigerator.
Different people have different taste. Some may want sour to prevail over than sweet or the other way around. You may adjust the amount of vinegar and sugar to suit your taste.
Best served with grilled or fried chicken, fish or meat.
Mangaon ta! (it's a Visayan term for Let's eat!)
Very nice! Why are raisins added in the recipe, it is an uncommon ingredient in pickles, at least in my country
Hi @creativemary ! Thanks for bringing that up. But exactly my thought haha. Kidding aside, as many people have varied taste, Filipinos are also divided on adding of raisins on this pickle. Some like it while others do not. Just like a debate on whether to have or not to have pineapples on pizza. Well I'm on the former. The reason maybe is to add some color to the pickle, or to have some chewy something on it as pickle is supposed to be crunchy. Some even add string beans. Spicy lovers also add chilli. Well, it's all in one's tastebuds. Hope I answered your curiosity. 😊
Oh very interesting, I guess it is a personal preference and probably they add a sweet taste. Thank you for the thoughtful reply and have a great day!
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