Bittermelon is absolutely an acquired taste but it’s one of my faves. Bitter but with a crisp freshness and a bit of a nutty undertone. The plant is packed with vitamins and nutrients and is often enjoyed in Filipino cuisine. You can eat the fruit and the leaves of the plant and today, I will share a recipe that showcases the bittermelon fruit at its best.
Table of Contents
What is Atchara?
The word Atchara usually refers to a pickled papaya recipe almost identical to this and is more often enjoyed because it does not have the bitterness of this dish. Personally, I love Ampalaya Atchara. It pairs so well with fried or grilled meats and seafood and adds more of a crunch than its papaya predecessor. Not to mention the rainbow of color it adds to any plate.
So let’s get started!
How to make Ampalaya Atchara
You will need bittermelon, onions, carrots, garlic, ginger, and red bell pepper. Gather all the veggies together and start slicing in thin, uniform pieces. A mandolin or vegetable grater would be good tools to speed up the process. I like to do it by hand as I like thicker, crunchier slices of veggies in this recipe. I slice them in a slant. I also like to keep the garlic cloves whole but you can slice if you prefer.
Once you have all your vegetables slices, you’ll want to blanch them. I do this by mixing all of the vegetables in a large bowl then pour boiling hot salted water over them and allow them to steep for about a minute. I think salting the water brings out some of the flavors of the vegetables and tempers the bitterness of the ampalaya. Drain then rinse with cold water. Set aside until completely dry.
Meanwhile, prepare the pickling syrup and sterilize your pickling jars. You can do this ahead of time as well.
Assemble the Ampalaya Atchara
Now it’s time to assemble. You can get really creative when it comes to stacking the vegetables in your pickling jar. I prefer to pack them all in evenly and just barely to the top of the jar. Pour in the syrup, seal, and refrigerate for about a week (if you can wait that long) and enjoy! Best served cold.
For this recipe, I use 2 large mason jars and evenly distribute the vegetables between the two.
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Ampalaya Atchara (Pickled Bittermelon, Bitter Gourd)
Ingredients
- 2 ampalaya / bittermelon/ bitter gourd, about .25” thick, sliced diagonally
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 white or red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced ginger
- 1 carrot, sliced in diagonal strips
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced in diagonal strips
- 2 banana peppers
Pickling Syrup
- 4 cups white vinegar (coconut vinegar if you have it)
- 4 cups sugar (coconut sugar gives it a deeper flavor)
- 2 tsp salt
- 10 peppercorns
Instructions
- Slice vegetables. Leave garlic whole. Place in large bowl and mix.
- Boil water. I boil the water in our electric kettle and add about a tsp of salt right before pouring over the vegetables.
- Pour the water into the bowl of vegetables and allow them to steep for about a minute. Don’t overcook!
- Drain the vegetables in a colander and quickly rinse with cold water.
- Set aside and allow to dry. I like to pat them dry and allow them to finish off in the refrigerator overnight.
- Prepare the syrup by mixing all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off heat immediately once dissolved.
- Assemble. Distribute the veggies and peppercorns evenly between the two jars.
- Pour the hot syrup over the vegetables until just covered. I find that pouring hot syrup over the vegetables perfectly finishes off the cooking process.
- Seal the jars and refrigerate, allow to pickle for a week.
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