Atchara

Atchara is a delicious way to elevate your meals. A delightful medley of tangy and slightly sweet flavors, this pickled papaya is a must-have condiment! Serve with grilled or fried dishes to balance rich and savory dishes with its refreshing taste.

If you notice, the vegetables and vinegar sauce that topped our escabeche lapu-lapu share the basic ingredients of atchara. This is because atchara is a form of escabeche, a type of dish where meat, fish, or vegetables are marinated in an acidic mixture with vinegar as the usual souring agent.

Ingredient notes

Creating the perfect pickled papaya is using quality and fresh ingredients.

• Green Papaya- shredded unripe papaya serves as the vegetable base
• Carrots- shredded plus a few florets as a decorative touch. They bring a pop of vibrant color, additional crunch, and a hint of sweetness.
• Aromatics- garlic and onions enhance overall flavor; ginger adds warmth and spice; peppercorns for zing
• Vinegar- usually distilled white vinegar, but you can also use palm vinegar. As the main ingredient for pickling, it adds tartness and acts as a preservative.
• Sugar- balances the tangy flavors with sweetness.
• Additional Ingredients- include red bell peppers and raisins for color, flavor, and texture.

How to make pickled papaya

The key to the best atchara is the right balance of sourness and sweetness in its fermenting juice, and I find the 1 ½ cups vinegar to 1 cup sugar ratio perfect for my taste. Adding spices and a few days of maturation in the refrigerator beautifully round up the distinct flavors of this colorful slaw.

1. Prepare the Green Papaya- peel, remove the seeds, and shred it using a grater or a food processor. After shredding, sprinkle with salt and let it sit for a few minutes or until it dispels liquid.  Squeeze out to remove excess liquid and rinse thoroughly.
2. Prepare the other vegetables and aromatics, such as carrots, bell peppers, onion, and garlic. Slice in uniform sizes for even pickling.
3. Create the Pickling Brine- combine vinegar, sugar, and salt in a pot and Heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves completely.
4. Combine the prepared vegetables and pickling mixture in a mixing bowl, ensuring the vegetables are fully submerged.
5. Store in sterilized glass jars and let them marinate in the refrigerator for one or two days for the flavors to meld and develop.

How to serve and store

• Atchara is a quintessential Filipino condiment traditionally served as an accompaniment to fried or grilled meats and seafood such as inihaw na pusit, pork bbq, fried chicken a la Max's restaurant, balancing the rich, savory meals with its bright and refreshing taste.
• Store atchara in a sealed, airtight container in the refrigerator to preserve flavor and prevent contamination. Stored properly, it should last in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Check the pickled vegetables for signs of spoilage, such as foil odor, mold growth, discoloration, and texture change, and discard if any.
• I don’t recommend freezing as the vegetables can turn mushy when frozen and thawed.