Atchara
Chef Armando Litiatco
FOB Brooklyn

Atchara! Who hasn’t heard or tasted this unique pickled side dish?  

There are so many things we can pair with atchara.   Barbecue, chicaron, fried chicken, fried fish ... in fact, anything fried would pair perfectly with this tangy, sweet, savory side dish. 

A staple in our house, my father would always insist on having atchara at the dining room table. I have very fond memories of my dad sitting at the table with us, going through events of the day, and munching on his favorite chicharon with  atchara. 

For those of us who live abroad, coming across a really good bottle of atchara is rare. So we are really excited how to make this dish with Chef Litiatco -- and to learn knife skills to boot?  Win!

So gather your ingredients and let’s start pickling!
Ingredients

  • 1 green papaya (or mango or daikon)
  • 1 red onion
  • 2 large carrots
  • 10 cloves garlic
  • 10 thai bird chilies (you can use jalapeño or Serrano chiles)
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 cup salt
  • 1 cup cane vinegar (or 1 cup apple cider vinegar)
  • 1 cup palm sugar (or 1/2 cup of white sugar and 1/2 cup of brown sugar)

Makes one jar of atchara.
Procedure and Tips
  1. Julienne your carrots and carrot. 
    Chinese-style julienne is cutting the produce in a diagonal. European cut is cutting the item straight down.  (Refer to video)
  2. Peel and cut your papaya in half, scoop out the seeds.
  3. Once clean, julienne the papaya.
    Tip: You can julienne the papaya using your knife or use a grater (box or microplane)
  4. Add a lot of salt to the julienned papaya for around 30 minutes to extra the water from the papaya.  
  5. After 30 minutes, wash the salt from the papaya with warm water, until you have washed all the salt out.  Strain all the water out. 
  6. Squeeze out all the excess liquid from your papaya using a kitchen towel. Set aside.
  7. Mince the garlic.  Using the back of your knife, mince the garlic.
  8. If you have  palm sugar, shave pieces. 
  9. Peel the ginger with the back of a spoon. OR if you wash it really well, you don’t have to peel the ginger. Cut the ginger in large strips, stack them, julienne, and then mince. 
  10. Set all your vegetables to the side. 
  11. Add vinegar, sugar, garlic cloves, Thai chiles, big slices of ginger in a pot and bring to a boil for about 5 minute. 
  12. Build your atchara.  Add papaya, carrots, raisins, ginger, garlic in a bowl. Add the pickling liquid. Mix well. 
  13. Keep in an airtight container (mason jars work well). 
  14. Marinate for at least 3 days before serving. 
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