Papaya Recipe - Achara

Are looking for a side dish to neutralize the effect and taste of your main dish? Well, achara is the answer to that problem of yours!

Atchara, or also known as achara and/ or atsara, is a Filipino fermented dish characterized by the presence of its main ingredient, the unripe green papaya which is usually shred, strips of red and green peppers and carrots cut into circles then soaked into vinegar and sugar to make such a sweet and sour blend. The reason why it usually contains shredded unripe papaya is that: it is crunchier or crispier than that of the ripe ones. Here is a recipe on how to prepare this kind of side dish. All you have to do is read and prepare the ingredients.

You will need:

¼ cup raisins

2 cups unripe papaya

2 cups white vinegar

1 piece carrot (cut into circular slices)

1 piece ginger (cut in strips)

1 piece onion (sliced thinly)

1 piece red bell pepper (cut in strips)

4 pieces garlic (sliced thinly)

salt

sugar

Here’s how to prepare:

Using a grater or fork, grate an unripe papaya. Place into a bowl and set aside.

Add some salt and place into a clean cloth.

Squeeze until it extracts some juice.

Pour in some vinegar into a casserole and let it boil for a few minutes.

Add some salt and sugar depending on your desired amount and taste. Stir continuously until sugar and salt are no longer visible in the vinegar.

Turn off the heat and set aside until it cooled.

When it is cooled, add the grated papaya that you set aside earlier and the remaining ingredients into the casserole.

Stir it well and pour into a small jar then refrigerate.

Then serve!