Home » Penang Acar ( Penang Spicy Pickled Vegetables )

Penang Acar ( Penang Spicy Pickled Vegetables )

by Angie Liew

Traditional Penang Acar Recipe: A Pickled Vegetable Dish with Amazing Sour, Sweet and Spicy Taste

Penang Acar is a special pickled vegetable dish. It’s famous for it’s appetising, sour, sweet and spicy great taste. Penang Acar is a Penang Peranakan Nyonya dish, another Malaysia authentic dish. In southeast asian restaurants, you have probably seen this dish before; perhaps served before meals, or together at the side with a main dish. It is delicious eaten as an appetizer on its own, with rice or sometimes as a side dish, served together with Nasi Lemak (Coconut Milk Rice) or even Nasi Kunyit (Yellow Turmeric Rice)

Penang Spicy Pickled Vegetables: A Pickled Dish That Tastes Even Better With Time

Also known as the Nyonya Pickle, Penang Acar tastes better when the pickles are left overnight chilled in the fridge to allow all spices to come together. This Acar Recipe is great for preparing for the entire family too. Can be left in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.

As usual, enjoy! 

Penang Acar (Penang Spicy Pickled Vegetables)

Recipe by Huang Kitchen, Angie Liew
Penang Acar is a special pickled vegetable dish. It’s famous for it’s appetizing, sour, sweet and spicy great taste. Penang Acar is a Penang Peranakan Nyonya dish, another Malaysia authentic dish. It is delicious eaten as an appetizer, with rice or sometimes as a side dish served together with Nasi Lemak or even Nasi Kunyit. Penang Acar tastes better when the pickles are left overnight chilled in the fridge to allow all spices to come together. Can be left in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.

Tap or Hover to Adjust Servings

Ingredients
 

  • 500 g cucumber, soft centre removed, cut lengthwise with the skin and cut into 1 1/2 inch strips
  • 200 g cabbage, cut into big pieces
  • 200 g carrots, skinned and cut into 1 1/2 strips
  • 200 g long beans, cut into 1 1/2 inch strips
  • 200 g pineapple, cut into small pieces
  • 100 g roasted peanuts, ground
  • 100 g white sesame, toasted
  • 1 tablespoon salt, to soak vegetables
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 450 ml white vinegar
  • 180 g sugar
  • 6 tablespoons oil

Spice Paste: (ground) - All the below is to be grinded

  • 10 fresh chillies
  • 5 in dried chillies, soak in hot water until soft
  • 10 shallots, skinned
  • 5 cloves garlic, skinned
  • 2 cm fresh tumeric, skinned
  • 2 cm galangal, skinned
  • 3 candle nuts
  • 3 tablespoons coriander seeds, or 20g
  • 20 g belacan, toasted

    Instructions
     

    • Put cucumber and carrot strips into a bowl. Mix well with 1 tablespoon salt and leave aside for 30 minutes. Wash thoroughly with water, drain and squeeze out water from the strips. (this is to retain crunchiness texture).
    • Fill a large pot with water (half full). Add 250ml vinegar and bring the water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt to the water.
    • Blanch each of the vegetables in batches for about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and drain well.
    • Dry the vegetables for 1 hour.
    • Heat a large wok. Heat up the oil and fry the red chilli paste for about 3 minutes. Then add in the ground shallot mixtures.
    • Fry until aromatic and the oil separates. This takes about 10 minutes.
    • Add the remaining 200ml vinegar, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt.
    • Then stir in the ground peanuts and mix thoroughly.
    • Lastly add in the vegetables and stir well.
    • Garnished with toasted sesame seeds.
    • It can be served immediately but acar taste best overnight in the refrigerator after the flavours have developed.
    • Keep chill in the fridge. Can keep for about 2 weeks.

Enjoy!

Tried this recipe?Mention @HuangKitchen or tag #huangkitchen!
 
To slice and cut vegetables:
Rinse well cucumbers
 
 
Slice into long strips
 
 
Rinse and skin carrots
 
 
Cut into strips
 
 
Wash and rinse well cabbage
 
 
Cut into big pieces
 
 
Wash and rinse long beans
 
 
Cut into long strips
 
 
Skin a small and ripe pineapple
 
 
Cut into small pieces
 

 

Ground red and dried chillies
 
 
Ground shallots, garlics, ginger, galangal, tumeric, coriander seeds and belacan
 
 
Toast and ground coarsely peanuts
 

 

Toast some white sesame seeds
 
 
Pour the vinegar for blanching and cooking the vegetables

 

 
Season cucumber and carrot strips with salt
 
 
After 30 minutes, remove excess water and squeeze out as much water as possible
 
 
To blanch the vegetables: ( in batches )
Blanch cabbage pieces in boiling water with vinegar added
 
 
Then blanch the long beans
 
 
Next blanch the squeeze cucumber and carrot strips
 
 
Drain and dry the blanched cabbage and long beans
 
 
Also drain and dry the cucumber and carrot strips

 

 
To cook the Acar:
Heat up 5 tablespoons oil and put in the chilli paste
 
 
Fry the chilli paste 
 
Add the ground onion paste
 
Fry until fragrant and the oil separates
 
Add in vinegar
 
Add in sugar and salt
 
Stir in ground peanut and mix thoroughly

 

Last, add in the blanched and dried vegetables
 
 
Stir to mix well
 
Garnish with toasted sesame seeds
 
 
Ready to serve after chilled in refrigerator preferably overnight.
 
 
Can be served as a side dish with Nasi Kunyit or Nasi Lemak with curry chicken too.
 
 
 
SO ……. ENJOY!

You may also like these recipes

5 from 4 votes (1 rating without comment)

Leave a Comment

If you like this recipe, rate 5 stars




13 comments

Yoges July 7, 2023 - 2:07 am

5 stars
Delicious

Reply
Felyx Teoh June 24, 2023 - 1:24 am

5 stars
Thank you Angie. I love nyonya acar very much. y neighbour in childhood days make very good acar. Some that I get from the market in KL are either too soury or watery that I have resorted to making them on my own when the craving starts. Wonderful pictures with the step by step instructions. Anyway I couldn’t find any print button to print them for referral later. Maybe you can add a print button. If there is maybe make it more prominent.

Reply
Arthur Lai January 26, 2022 - 2:42 pm

5 stars
Thanks for sharing. Similar to my mom’s recipe.

Reply
Angie Liew January 29, 2022 - 9:48 am

You are most welcome.

Reply
Zacchaeus Tan May 7, 2020 - 3:49 pm

❤️❤️🌹🌹🌹👍👍👍Thank you very much 4 sharing u deserved thumb up👍👍👍.

Reply
Angie Liew May 8, 2020 - 10:26 pm

Hi, thanks for viewing. Enjoy!

Reply
Karen Thong May 14, 2021 - 9:55 am

Great recipe! Thks 🙏 so much for sharing. Newbie like me needs all the help to cook something edible 😅

Reply
The power of pickles: a guide to preserving almost everything – from jam-making to chutneys | Food – The Best Sellers April 29, 2020 - 7:12 am

[…] thing to have in the fridge is mixed spiced pickles – half salad, half condiment – such as Malaysian penang acar. The veg here requires a bit more preparation. Huangkitchen.com’s Angie Liew says to mix 200g […]

Reply
The power of pickles: a guide to preserving almost everything – from jam-making to chutneys – CV19. Solutions April 29, 2020 - 6:56 am

[…] to have in the fridge is mixed spiced pickles – half salad, half condiment – such as Malaysian penang acar. The veg here requires a bit more preparation. Huangkitchen.com’s Angie Liew says to mix 200g […]

Reply
The power of pickles: a guide to preserving almost everything – from jam-making to chutneys | Food – Rise Focus April 28, 2020 - 6:56 pm

[…] thing to have in the fridge is mixed spiced pickles – half salad, half condiment – such as Malaysian penang acar. The veg here requires a bit more preparation. Huangkitchen.com’s Angie Liew says to mix 200g […]

Reply
The power of pickles: a guide to preserving almost everything – from jam-making to chutneys | Food | Two Stoned Birds April 28, 2020 - 6:47 pm

[…] the fridge is blended spiced pickles – half salad, half condiment – comparable to Malaysian penang acar. The veg right here requires a bit extra preparation. Huangkitchen.com’s Angie Liew says to […]

Reply
Angie Liew June 30, 2014 - 11:10 am

Yes, it can be quite a laborious task, with a lot of cutting, slicing and chopping. But its worth the effort when you see your family enjoy feasting into it. Thanks for comment Esther.

Reply
Esther Wong June 30, 2014 - 10:06 am

Nyonya loves pickled vegetables of all kinds. My Nyonya MIL is a huge fan and she used to make this dish. Nice to eat but a lot of preperation works.

Reply
Huang Kitchen