Over the summer, my friend has been consistently giving me ample supply of fresh vegetables from her backyard garden. There is nothing like cooking a freshly picked vegetables. I was given long beans, tomatoes. squash and bitter melon. Surprisingly, the bitter melon was not bitter at all!! I have been cooking bitter melon almost twice a week, and I get to thinking, what else can I do with this vegetable? I don't want it to go to waste if its sitting in the fridge for a long time. Then I remember one of my friends pickled some ampalaya a long time ago. I love atchara, I can eat it everyday. And so I thought of experimenting on atcharang ampalaya.
Back when I was young, ampalaya is my most hated vegetable, I know it is very healthy, but I can't seem to force myself to eat it, mainly because of it's bitter taste. One way of taking the bitterness out is by marinating it in saline solution (salt and water) and squishing the fluid out of it. But let's be honest, it doesn't really take the bitterness out completely.
Ampalaya, or bitter melon, bitter squash, bitter gourd, Momordica charantia, in scientific name, is a tropical vegetable widely grown in Asia, Africa and the Carribean. The fruit and the flower are the edible parts. There are two varieties available at the store, the Chinese biter melon and the Indian bitter melon. It is rich in carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals. It is claimed to help cure diabetes, fever, and some infections. I read somewhere that there are some research ongoing about its role in prevention and cure of HIV, AIDS and cancer.
Atchara, a common way of preserving food is popular in the Philippines. Green papaya is the vegetable commonly used. It is paired with fried fish and rice. Other vegetables that are also used are labong (bamboo shoots), singkamas (jicama), ubod (palm hearts), and ampalaya.
Today, I chose to experiment on atcharang amapalaya, because I have a dozen ampalaya in my fridge that I want to preserve and enjoy for the next several weeks.
Ingredients
4 pcs ampalaya, cut into thin pieces
1 pc medium carrots, julienned
1 pc medium onion, sliced thinly
5 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1 pc large bell pepper, cut into strips
1 knob ginger, cut into strips
1 cup raisins
3 cups apple cider vinegar (ACV) or pineapple juice
if using ACV, add the following ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup pineapple juice
1. Combine ampalaya, carrots, garlic, ginger, bell pepper, onion and raisins. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, boil ACV, sugar and pineapple juice. After its boils, let simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Once the ACV mixture is cool, poor over the vegetables. Place in a tight container, preferably mason jars. Refrigerate. Ferment for one week before consuming.
4. Once the jar is opened, atchara is good for 3 months.
I have been eating atchara for several days now. I made two batches, one I used pineapple juice, it was too sweet. The other batch, using ACV was better, it has a little tartness in it. I paired it with my home made chicken tocino, and fried rice. What other vegetable can we use for atchara? Let me know your thoughts. Happy experimenting!!!
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