Atchara Recipe – Filipino Pickled Green Papaya Side Dish February 27, 2020 PinterestFacebook Cleanse your palate with this all-natural umami taste. Atchara: The picked sidekick to oily food. Atchara also spelt achara and atsara, is a Filipino pickled side dish usually paired with grilled food such as chicken barbeque, lechón and even a side dish for Tapsilog (Filipino breakfast that consists of fried garlic rice, egg and cured meat). Usually a combination of grated unripe green papaya, tangy ginger, crunchy carrots, garlic, onions, and a solution of vinegar, salt and sugar. The fermentation process usually takes 1-2 days in the fridge to maintain its flavor. The Story Behind Atchara Atchara was influenced from India, with the dish Achaar ( a dish with varieties of fruits and vegetables) which means “pickle”. The Pickling process was used as a solution to preserve excess food for seasons when there was a lack of food production. This dish is made by the pounds at festivals and can be easily made at home with just a cheesecloth, grater and sterilized jars. Different regions in the Philippines have different combinations of atchara. Some households even make their own twist such as adding raisins, pineapple or replacing the grated papaya with radish. The laborious and time-consuming part of the dish would be the preparation, which sometimes needs the ingredients to be julienned, grated and sliced longer and thinly as possible. But rarely, depending on the home some atchara would have chunkier bits or shorter cuts. Atchara is usually found in many Filipino households to use as a side dish or palate cleanser for fried, grilled and roasted dishes. This fermented dish keeps well for more than a month’s time in the fridge. Equipment For this dish, you will need: Sterilized JarsCheesecloth Pin Print Atchara Recipe – Filipino Pickled Papaya Side-DishRecipe by admineatphCourse: Appetizer, Side dishCuisine: filipinoJars88 ozPrep time50minutesCook time1hour Ingredients5 cups unripe shredded green papaya6 cups water4 tsp salt1 carrot thinly sliced1 red bell pepper julienned4 thumbs of ginger julienned2 cloves of garlic sliced thinly1 medium sized onion sliced thinly1 tsp whole black pepper1-2 green chili peppers sliced to thin rings7 cups of white vinegar1 1/2 cup granulated white sugar1 tsp saltDirectionsSoak the papaya in 6 cups of water with 4 tbsp salt. Mix and soak for an hour. Rinse, and using a cheesecloth, squeeze the papaya juices out completely.In a bowl, add the green papaya, carrot, red bell pepper, ginger, garlic, onion, black pepper, and green sili. Mix well and set aside.In a pot. On medium heat, add 7 cups white vinegar, 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 4 tsp salt. Mix well till the sugar fully dissolves.Add the papaya-vegetable mix to the sterilized jars. Leave some space for the vinegar syrupPour the vinegar syrup into the jars one by one. Closing the lid quickly to keep the heat inside. This will help ‘cook’ the papaya mix. Cool the Atchara to room temp. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 days before using.Atchara Recipe – Filipino Pickled Papaya Side-DishRecipe by admineatphCourse: Appetizer, Side dishCuisine: filipinoJars88 ozPrep time50minutesCook time1hour Ingredients5 cups unripe shredded green papaya6 cups water4 tsp salt1 carrot thinly sliced1 red bell pepper julienned4 thumbs of ginger julienned2 cloves of garlic sliced thinly1 medium sized onion sliced thinly1 tsp whole black pepper1-2 green chili peppers sliced to thin rings7 cups of white vinegar1 1/2 cup granulated white sugar1 tsp saltDirectionsSoak the papaya in 6 cups of water with 4 tbsp salt. Mix and soak for an hour. Rinse, and using a cheesecloth, squeeze the papaya juices out completely.In a bowl, add the green papaya, carrot, red bell pepper, ginger, garlic, onion, black pepper, and green sili. Mix well and set aside.In a pot. On medium heat, add 7 cups white vinegar, 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 4 tsp salt. Mix well till the sugar fully dissolves.Add the papaya-vegetable mix to the sterilized jars. Leave some space for the vinegar syrupPour the vinegar syrup into the jars one by one. Closing the lid quickly to keep the heat inside. This will help ‘cook’ the papaya mix. Cool the Atchara to room temp. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 days before using.Recipe Video Notes Using ripe papaya will make the dish mushy since we’ll be cooking it with heat from the syrup.Substitute the unripe papaya with unripe radish.Add raisins to make the dish sweeter.Substitute the sliced onion with whole shallots. It pairs well with the syrup and gives a nice crunch.It takes 1-2 days in the fridge before severing to make the flavors blend together, and give that sharp note that Atchara is well known for. Previous Post: « Turon Recipe – Filipino Fried Banana Lumpia With Chocolate Syrup & JackfruitNext Post: Sweet Pork Adobo – The Famously Delicious Filipino Dish »NEVER MISS A POST Reader Interactions Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Current [email protected] * Leave this field empty