Achards

Ingredients

Vegetables

• 400 gwhite cabbage, shredded fine
• 2carrots, cut in fine matchsticks
• 150 ggreen beans, cut in thin lengths
• 1green mango, peeled and shredded, or 200 g more cabbage
• 2 tbspfine salt

Spiced oil

• 150 mlsunflower or groundnut oil
• 1 tbspmustard seed
• 1 tbspground turmeric
• 4 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 2cm ginger, grated
• 2hot chillies, sliced
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 tspsalt

Directions

1. Toss the shredded vegetables and mango with the 2 tablespoons of salt and leave in a colander for two hours. They will give up a great deal of water — this is what keeps the finished achards crisp rather than watery.
2. Squeeze the vegetables firmly by handfuls to drive out the remaining liquid, then spread them on a cloth to dry for a further hour. Any water left behind will separate under the oil and shorten how long the jar keeps.
3. Heat the oil in a small pan and fry the mustard seed until it pops, then take it off the heat and stir in the turmeric, garlic, ginger and chilli. Let it cool to warm — turmeric added to smoking oil turns bitter.
4. Pour the warm spiced oil over the vegetables and mix thoroughly with your hands so every strand is coated.
5. Stir in the lime juice and the teaspoon of salt, then pack into a clean jar, pressing down so the oil rises to cover the surface.
6. Leave at room temperature for two days for the flavours to marry, then refrigerate. It keeps three to four weeks.
7. Serve a spoonful alongside rice and grilled fish.

Technique

• The salting and squeezing is the whole difference between achards and a limp oily salad. Do not shorten it.
• Keep the vegetables covered by the oil in the jar. Anything above the surface dries out and darkens.
• This is a refrigerator pickle, not a shelf-stable preserve. The oil is a flavouring and a seal, not a sterilising agent.

Substitutions

• Cauliflower, papaya or chayote in place of any of the vegetables.
• Vinegar in place of some of the lime, which keeps it a little longer.
• Mustard oil, which is used in the Mauritian and Réunionnais versions.

Variations

• The Réunion achards de légumes is the same idea with more turmeric and less chilli.
• A palm-heart version, achards de cœur de palmier, is made on the islands where the palms grow.

History

Brought through French Indian Ocean kitchens, and eaten in the Comoros alongside rice and grilled fish.

Frequently asked questions

What is Achards?

Achards is a fermented & pickled from Comoros: shredded vegetables or green mango salted and steeped in spiced oil. Brought through French Indian Ocean kitchens, and eaten in the Comoros alongside rice and grilled fish.

How long does Achards take to make?

Achards takes 30 min plus 2 days steeping of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes fills a 750 ml jar. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Achards?

Yes, within limits. Cauliflower, papaya or chayote in place of any of the vegetables. Vinegar in place of some of the lime, which keeps it a little longer. Mustard oil, which is used in the Mauritian and Réunionnais versions.

What is the most important thing to get right in Achards?

Toss the shredded vegetables and mango with the 2 tablespoons of salt and leave in a colander for two hours. They will give up a great deal of water — this is what keeps the finished achards crisp rather than watery.