A tangy, crunchy relish of cucumber, pineapple and vegetables pickled in a spiced vinegar paste with toasted sesame and ground peanuts. The signature preserved accompaniment of the Singapore Nyonya Tok Panjang table.
Nyonya achar is the signature preserved accompaniment of the Singapore Nyonya table, served at any Tok Panjang feast. Cucumber, pineapple, carrot and long beans are pickled in a spiced vinegar paste built on a freshly ground rempah of turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, dried chilli and belacan, with toasted sesame and crushed peanuts. The crunch and the complex spice-vinegar balance set it apart from a plain pickle, and it is a mandatory side at the Peranakan feast.
Crunchy, tangy, sweet and gently hot, the cucumber and pineapple still crisp, the toasted spice paste and sesame threading through, the peanuts adding body. Eaten as a relish with rice, it is bright, complex and the perfect foil to a rich stew.
The vegetables are salted to draw out water, then sun-dried or patted very dry, so the pickle stays crunchy. A rempah of turmeric, galangal, lemongrass, dried chilli, coriander seed and belacan is toasted dry, then fried in oil until fragrant. The vegetables are folded into the warm spice paste with vinegar, sugar, toasted sesame and crushed peanuts. The toasting of the spices is what sets Nyonya achar apart from a simpler pickle.
Variations
A festive version adds pineapple chunks. Some include cauliflower.
On the Palate
Where Nyonya Achar Singapore sits in the Singaporean flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 10How it's made
6 steps · 40 min
- 110 min
Cut 300g cucumber (seeded), 200g carrot and 200g long beans into thin strips; salt generously and rest 1 hour; squeeze very dry.
Watch outSalt the vegetables an hour, then squeeze them bone-dry — leftover water dilutes the dressing and the pickle turns limp instead of staying crunchy.
- 25 min
Dry-toast 2 tbsp coriander seeds and 1 tsp cumin until fragrant; grind fine.
- 36 min
Pound 6 dried chillies, 2cm turmeric, 2cm galangal, 1 stalk lemongrass and 1 tsp belacan into a paste.
- 48 min
Fry the paste in 4 tbsp oil 6 minutes; add the ground spices and fry 2 minutes.
Watch outDry-toast then fry the spice paste until fragrant — that toasting is what sets Nyonya achar apart; skip it and it's just a plain sour pickle.
- 58 min
Stir in 150ml rice vinegar, 80g sugar, 1 tsp salt; bring to a simmer; fold in the squeezed vegetables and 200g pineapple chunks; cook 3 minutes.
- 64 min
Cool, stir in 3 tbsp toasted sesame and 50g crushed peanuts; serve as a relish.
