ACAR ASSAM BELIMBING (SOUR STARFRUIT/CARAMBOLA CHUTNEY)

 ACAR ASSAM BELIMBING (SOUR STARFRUIT CHUTNEY)

350 gm sour starfruits/carambola

2 tspn salt + 2 tspn extra

Grounded ingredients:

6 cloves garlic

4 cm ginger

3 medium purple onions

2 tbsp chilli paste

1 heapful tbsp Jintan Manis (aniseed)

1 heapful tbsp Jintan Putih (cumin)

1 tspn mixed seeds (mustard seeds, fenugreek, cumin seeds etc)

2” cinnamon stick

4 pcs Star Anise

3 sprigs curry leaves

10 pips garlic extra

150ml white rice vinegar

80g sugar

2 tspn salt, extra

1) Wash and trim sour starfruits. Split the large ones into half, lengthways.

Peel and slice the 10 pips of garlic thinly.

2) Add 2 tspn of salt and toss. Leave to water for half an hour.

3)Dry fry or toast the jintan putih and jintan manis seed until fragrant. Remove and pound til finenon a mortar and pestle or mill them.

4) Prepare steamer to steam the starfruits. Drain off water from the starfruits n place them on a single layer on a plate. Steam in rapid boiling water for 5 minutes.

5) Remove from fire, drain off liquid n put to dry under hot sun for 1 hour or put them to dry in the fridge overnight, uncovered.

6) Heat up oil in a wok. Fry cinnamon stick n star anise until fragrant, about 3 minutes in medium fire. Add in curry leaves.

7) Add in grounded ingredients and the 2 types of spices. Fry until oil separates.

8)Stir in sugar and stir til sugar melts. Add in vinegar and salt to taste. Bring to boil and let pickling sauce reduce to a fairly thick consistency.

9) Off fire and stir in the sliced garlic and the prepared sour starfuits.

10) Bottle them into stetilised bottles while still hot.

Notes: To sterilised your bottles you can either boil or steam them for 15 minutes.

*Warning*: Starfruits contain oxalic acid which is poisonous for people with renal failure.