ACAR CUCUMBER AND CARROT RECIPE. USE OF SLAKED LIME IN HOME COOKING AND IN FOOD INDUSTRIES. ACAR TIMUN DAN LOBAK RESIPI

ACAR CUCUMBER AND CARROT RECIPE.  
ACAR TIMUN DAN LOBAK RESIPI
USE OF SLAKED LIME IN HOME COOKING AND IN  FOOD INDUSTRIES\

For cucumber, carrot, chili, onions and garlic :– After cutting them as per directions below, soak each in separate bowls of water, which has already been  mixed with half  tablespoon slaked lime. Soak for 1 1/2  - 2 hours. Once done , rinse away the slaked time

Ingredients:

1 large size cucumber- cut 5 cm long (about 2.5 in), cut into 4 pieces lengthwise and discard pith and seeds. For each of the 4 pieces –cut into 3, lengthwise , but do not cut all the way down, see photo

1 large carrot- cut 5 cm long. Cut each piece again, lengthwise as per photo

10 pieces shallots- use the round  red type- peel

10 pieces garlic- peel

2 pieces red chili- slit once lengthwise

3 pieces green chili- slit once lengthwise

½ cup roasted groundnuts- coarsely blend

1 cup vinegar

2 tbsp  sugar

3 tbsp curry powder- mix with water to form a thin paste

1/3 cup dried shrimp- blend

ABOVE- BLENDED DRIED SHRIMPS

Tempering ingredients:

4 cm young ginger root- julienned

2 pieces shallots- slice

6 cm cinnamon

6 pieces cloves

1 star anise

4 pieces crushed cardamoms

1 tsp cumin

Cooking oil

Heat oil in a non stick pot or wok.

Add in tempering ingredients until shallots wilted a bit..

Add in vinegar, curry paste, blended shrimps, shallots and garlic.. Slightly  pungent  aroma due to vinegar. Stir for 5 minutes, add cucumber and carrots.

When cucumber is half cooked, add in chili, peanuts and sugar

Turn off fire when cucumber is already crisp tender. Do not overcook the cucumber and carrots. No water is used in this cooking. It is a popular  vintage recipe and serves as an appetizer dish eaten with rice.

Applications of slaked lime in cooking/ food:
Calcium hydroxide or traditionally known as Slaked lime,  is a colorless crystal or white powder,  a low toxicity  inorganic compound and is also known as pickling lime or hydrated lime.

- In  this recipe, soaking in slaked lime, helps maintain the crispiness of the ingredients
- Slaked lime is used as an alternative ingredient to baking soda ( a raising agent in making “papadam”, a South Indian flatbread/ crackers )

- A condiment used mainly in India, where they  eat arica nuts, calcium hydroxide and a variety of other seeds wrapped in betel leaves. They call this "paan". We call this  kapur sireh.
- In chinese cuisine, it is used in the of making century eggs
- Natives in  South America  add calcium hydroxide, derived from burnt sea shells,  to their chewed  tobacco leaves to enhance flavor.


Applications of slaked lime in the Food industries:

- As food preservation in the making of pickles

- A calcium supplement in mineral fortified infant formula

- It is used in separating sugar from sugar canes (sugar cane beets)

- For processing water in the manufacturing of  alchoholic and soft drinks