very special achara
(pickled green papaya)
adapted from my old faded soft cover Lutuing Pilipino ni Aling Charing
we had our first cook-out of the summer season, and of course pork sticks are tops on the menu. had to have some atsarang papaya, but these are espesyal.
1 small green papaya, peeled, seeded and shredded in the coarse holes of the box grater
1/2 cucumber, cubed
1/4 cup sliced carrots
1/4 cup total thinly sliced red and green peppers
2-inch knob of ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 biggish shallot, sliced cross-wise thinly
1/2 head of garlic, peeled, crushed
1 handful of raisins
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup white or cane vinegar
1-2 tsps. salt
slightly crushed peppercorns, if desired
soak the papaya in two teaspoons of salt for at least 15 minutes in a fine-meshed colander. rinse and drain, then squeeze out excess water. mix with all the other vegetables and raisins. press into a jar with tight fitting lid.
mix the sugar, vinegar, peppercorns, if using, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. turn off heat and let cool completely. pour syrup into the jar and cover tightly. should be ready in two days but i couldn’t wait and had some right away…
[these are also good with grated white radish, salted and rinsed the same way as the papaya. julienned green onions or scallions also make it zestier and tastier.]
May 31st, 2006 at 6:01 am
i cooked atchara just once in my entire life… at HS pa ako noon. d na naulit. if i get lucky and find unripe papaya, maybe i will tyr it again…
May 31st, 2006 at 2:04 pm
hi iska!it must be required by the Dept. of Education ha! :chef::stirthepotwe did that too, plus nata de piña and coco. i can’t get any good bottled achara here,so had to make my own. good luck, hope you find some green papaya!:detective:
May 31st, 2006 at 8:45 pm
hahaha! same same here! way back when…did you ever make salted eggs too in school? hmmm…magawa nga ulit to!thanks for the recipe!
June 1st, 2006 at 6:19 pm
my gosh, mama stel, wherever did you find green papayas!!? I remember making atchara with my dad, he made the best
If I ever find green papayas, I’ll have to try your recipe 
June 1st, 2006 at 7:17 pm
ces, no salted eggs but i remember chicken:drumstick baked in mayo and bread crumbs oui oui! we had a home ec. teacher who taught us the rudimentary knife skills and had quizzes on vocabulary: mince, dice, chop, slice.heehee…we got to eat our creations too! better than sewing huh? :lol::fryingpan
green pawpaw?Chinatown for sure! :yes::wave:
JMom, i sure hope you find it too…i’ll bring you some? or you come and get it? :bouncy:yes: please post your dad’s version J! it’s always good to try new ways….you can try with radish and carrots.
we’re almost at the homestretch, Friday na bukas yehey…..enjoy!
June 3rd, 2006 at 8:20 am
Stel, my mom-in-law taught me how to make atsara. Super masarap talaga with raisins and pineapple tidbits.
Gemini ka rin pala, Stel, pareho tayo.
June 3rd, 2006 at 1:35 pm
Lani mi Lani, happy bersdey to you too! malapit na, or did i miss it?
either way very best wishes for you and hello to your family.
i love the idea of pineapple tidbits! i never put raisins before but now i know why it should be there….:pinyapol::lei::highfive:
June 4th, 2006 at 3:44 am
my dad is the acharra maker in the family. and no one can make it better than his. before the birth of salad spinners (to dry veggies), he used to put the shredded papaya in the spin cycle of the washing machine! he has never revelead his secret recipe. not even to my mom. or the entire clan. a couple of years ago, hubby brown-nosed his way to this closely-guarded recipe. so now, he and my dad are the only ones who can make the acharra. i tried to snoop around to get the recipe from hubby but no such luck. and he rubs it in that he is the only the other person who has the recipe.
June 4th, 2006 at 5:59 pm
:detective:don’t worry purplegirl, next time either of them serves you some, you mail me a sample and i will “dissect” heehee:wave:
it’s always nice to know about dads who cook (mine just likes to sit and eat):opera:
June 30th, 2006 at 3:21 pm
kelangan ko rin maghanap ng green papaya…Kelangang maipatikim ko rin to sa byenan ko (para malaman nilang meron din tayong pickles!)
September 21st, 2006 at 8:24 pm
HELLO EVERYBODY!
I´M JUST WONDERING ILANG BUWAN BA NA EXPIRED AND ATSARANG PAPAYA? MAY EXPIRATION BA?
THANK YOU
SHIELA
September 24th, 2006 at 10:22 pm
hi Shiela
i was tempted to say “indefinitely” but then again, i noticed that the store bought achara gets quite old and chewy and stale too. i’d say, for the achara i make and keep in the fridge, it tastes good up to a month and then…by then, ubos ko na :piggy:lol:
January 12th, 2007 at 10:23 am
January 12th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
hello Demi Koosenerra, i hope you like it. i haven’t seen good green papayas lately around here, you’re lucky! they’re supposedly even healthier than ripe?! thanks for visiting:wave::penguin::yes:
August 21st, 2009 at 8:07 pm
yay! i did it!:) now i’m pooped! haha! thankies again neybur!:)