Region: Southeast Asia
Country: Indonesia (and neighboring countries)

Indonesian
pickled vegetables

Acar timun (Indonesian)

Fresh, rich and simple

Acar is a refreshing side dish made from pickled vegetables and/or fruits, often enjoyed alongside main courses or snacks to balance flavors, neutralise fat, and kill spiciness.

Originally hailing from the Indian subcontinent, where it is known as acha/aachaar or similar, acar is now savored throughout Southeast Asia. It traveled along with the spread of Hinduism.

As you can guess, there are many different varieties, featuring different combinations of vegetables and fruits prepared in diverse ways. In Indonesia, acar timun and acar kuning are popular choices, while Malaysia boasts acar awak and nyonya acar. Also in the Philippines, you’ll come across various types of atchara-s.

The word acar is of Persian origin, and in all the languages where this word (or similar) is present it is used to denote pickles (cucumbers) or pickled vegetables.

In the former Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia), acar was an integral part of the Eurasian Indo (Dutch/Indonesian fusion) cuisine. It is indispensable alongside satay and rijsttafels. In the Netherlands it is written as atjar, which was also the Indonesian spelling until 1973. The most common atjar in the Netherlands is atjar tjampoer (acar campur in Bahasa), which is sold in each supermarket.

In Suriname and the former Netherlands Antilles, atjar is also widely eaten. Here, it is more often called zuurgoed or simply zuur (meaning sour in Dutch).

Atjar is also an integral part of the Cape Malay Cusine in South Africa. It was introduced by slaves from present day Indonesia and Malaysia who were brought to the Cape Colony. Here, atjar is primarily made with mango.

The acar in this recipe is personally my favorite. It combines all different types of flavors. There is the sourness of the vinegar, the sweetness of the sugar and carrots, the freshness of the cucumber, and the kick comes from the chili peppers. It is an amazing addition to heavier, greasy, and spicy dishes.

Acar timun
(Indonesian pickled vegetables)

Recipe by Chef Franky BuzCuisine: IndonesianDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

1 large cucumber
3 carrots
2 shallots
3 green chili peppers
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
250 ml water

Directions

Wash the vegetables and peel the carrots.
Cut the cucumber in half (vertically), and scrape out the seeds with a spoon.
Cut all the vegetables in long medium-sized pieces (a la julienne). Medium-sized cubes are perfectly fine as well.
Boil the water in a pot with the sugar, salt, and vinegar. You can taste the brine and adjust with by adding some more of the ingredients.

If you are looking for a faster and easier recipe: dissolve sugar, salt, and vinegar in cold water in a bowl and add the vegetables.
Add the carrots to the boiling water for a minute and a half. There is no particular need to add the softer vegetables, but if you do 30 seconds is more than enough.
Turn off the stove and put all the vegetables (including the carrots from the pot) into a bowl or heat proof container.
Give the water some time to cool. Poor the lukewarm brine into the bowl with vegetables and let it completely cool off.
Refrigerate the vegetables with the brine in a airtight container. Eat within 3 weeks.

Notes

A quick and easier recipe is without boiling the brine and cooking the vegetables. This recipe is suitable if you’re planning to finish the acar within three days.

Check out more Indonesian Recipes!