Best Ever Vegetable Achard (No Boiling Required)
This Best Ever Vegetable Achard recipe requires no boiling or draining and is quick to prepare. Using achard masala paste makes it more is satisfying and much tastier than your regular achard made with store-bought achard spice mix.
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Servings: 5 servings
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil divided, I used avocado oil
- 4 cups cabbage finely shredded, 250 g, 8.8 oz
- 1 cup cauliflower cut into small 1 cm pieces, about ¼ of a small cauliflower, 100 g, 3.5 oz
- ½ cup carrots julienned, about 1 small carrot, 45 g, 1.5 oz
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds brown or black
- 3 tablespoons achard masala paste
- 2-3 tablespoons water
- 3-5 cloves garlic thinly sliced or minced
- 6-10 green chili peppers cut lengthwise, 10 g, 0.33 oz
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or use extra white vinegar instead
- 1 tablespoon mustard oil
- 2 teaspoons salt or to taste
Instructions
PART 1
- Heat oil. Heat 3 tablespoons (3 of the 5) of vegetable oil in a large cast iron or stainless steel pan on medium to hit heat.
- Cook vegetables. Add the vegetables one at a time starting with the ones that take the longest to cook first. Your goal is to cook the vegetables slightly so that they lose their raw taste but retain their crunch. Once the oil is hot enough, but not smoking, add the vegetables in the following order: cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, cook each about 30-60 seconds before adding the next one to the pan. This should take about 5 minutes. Make sure to not let the vegetable burn or turn brown). Once the vegetables are slightly cooked and have lost their raw taste, set the vegetable mixture aside. You will have leftover oil in the pan.
- Mix the achard masala paste with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Whisk until smooth. The addition of water is important. It ensures that the spices do not burn and turn bitter when you cook it. Set this masala paste mixture aside.
PART 2
- Cook the achard masala paste. Add the 2 tablespoons of the remaining vegetable oil to the leftover oil in the pan, along with the mustard oil. Be careful as the oil and masala might splatter a little with the next step. Be prepared to cover the pan slightly so that masala does not splatter too much. Once the oil is hot enough, but not smoking, add the mustard seeds and cook for 30 seconds. Don't overcook them as it will turn the mustard seeds bitter.Next, gently add the masala paste mixture to the pan. Cook until the water evaporates and the masala becomes fragrant, about 2-4 minutes. Scrape off the spices from the bottom of the pan if they seem to be sticking to it.
- Add garlic and green chili peppers. Add the garlic and green chili peppers, and cook until the chili peppers are just cooked, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Add the white vinegar, lemon juice and salt to the pan mix everything evenly. Make sure your spices do not stick to the pan. Scrape off the spices from the bottom of the pan if they seem to be sticking to it. Cook until the liquid has evaporated a bit. Refer to the Recipe Notes section below if you prefer your vegetables on the softer side.
- Add vegetable mixture and taste test. After you add these, make sure all the ingredients in the achard mix evenly. Taste it and see if the white vinegar, lemon juice or salt need to be adjusted.
- Enjoy immediately with a French baguette. If you are keeping it for later, wait for the vegetable achard to completely cool down before transferring it to a jar. This prevents condensation and thus extends the life of the achard. It keeps for weeks in the fridge. Add some additional white vinegar and top it with oil if you to extend it even further.
Notes
In Part 1, you only cook the veggies until they are slightly cooked and have lost their raw taste. You do not need to cook them more at this stage because you will add the vegetable mixture back in the pan in Part 2 and therefore cook them further at that stage.
You can add a cover/lid on the pan after you add the white vinegar and lemon juice to create steam inside the pan and cook the veggies further if you prefer them to be softer.