So simple…

If you eat at the Malay stalls and shops, you may get this by the side of your plate of nasi lemak or whatever you are having like the one here, for instance…

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– what they call the acar timun (pickled cucumber).

There are nice ones but at times, some may be somewhat disappointing while others may be too sour or the cucumber is sliced too thickly and when I googled to see the recipe, the one I found only had cucumber (skin removed), Bombay onions, vinegar and sugar. For one thing, this is definitely a whole lot easier to make than the nyonya version…

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…which we always enjoy eating with keropok (prawn crackers) – I wouldn’t want to try making that! Shudders!!!

When I decided to make my own the other day, I had cucumber…

…sliced thinly but no, I did not peel off the skin and I also had pineapples…

I added some thinly sliced chilies

…and also some shallots…

– I reckoned that would be more fragrant and would taste nicer than Bombay onions.

I also had some Thai basil leaves…

…whole as well as chopped, from my garden for the added fragrance and taste. I guess it is up to you what you see fit and would like to add. If I remember correctly, I think I’ve had some with star anise even but I was too lazy to rummage through the pantry to search for that.

I took around half a cup of vinegar, or maybe a little less than that, and added two tablespoons of sugar to balance the sour taste with the sweetness and stirred well to dissolve the latter, as much as possible. Then, I poured the solution into the bowl and mixed everything together well…

Yes, it was very nice so I put everything in a glass jar for storage in the fridge.

Now I have this acar timun to enjoy with my meals and the best part, of course, was the fact that it was so simple to make and no, there is no oil, no salt (though some recipes may call of a pinch of it) and no msg. Ain’t that great?