Sri Lankan date and lime chutney.

A spoonful of this lip-smacking sweet chutney is always a welcome addition to your meals.

I’ve been known to finish a bottle of this date and lime chutney within a few days.

It’s on my plate of rice, on bread rusks or on a few spoons on my palm to mouth as I go about my work, trust me it’s that good.

And I can guarantee that once you’ve made your own date-lime chutney, and see how easy it is to make, you’ll be making it frequently not only for yourself but for friends as well.

Date chutney recipe as a gift.

Dates, Sri Lankan preserved limes(lunu dehi) and raisins make up most of the flavours in this chutney.

Once the chutney is done, you’ll notice the rich, dark, ruby red colour which is a combination of all the ingredients coming together to make one of the most delicious sweet and spicy(with a bit of sourness from the limes) chutneys you’ll ever taste.

The perfect homemade gift for any festive occasion.

Now that you have the recipe for the chutney, make a few bottles ahead and gift it to your loved ones over the festive season(Sinhala-Tamil new year, eid, Christmas).

Take bottles as a housewarming gift or take a few for your loved ones living overseas.

They’ll love and appreciate the thoughtful gift as it’s homemade with a lot of love.

Save the recipe to your favourite Pinterest board!

How to use the date and lime chutney.

• It’s a great addition to your cheeseboard.
• Add a dollop(not too much)to your hot dog or burger to give them an Asian twist.
• Top a roast paan(bread)with seeni sambol or coconut sambol and add a little of this date and lime chutney.
• Serve with any type of Biryani. here are some biryani recipes you can try.
  • egg biryani (one pot rice dish/stove-top)
  • chicken biryani(Hyderabadi).
  • chicken pot Biryani.
• Serve with a  Sri Lankan rice and curry menu. Here are some menus you can try.
  • Yellow rice, slow-cooked beef curry, potato curry, spicy green beans stir fry(bonchi thel dala). and this sweet date chutney.
  • Coconut rice, dhal curry, spicy devilled potato, gotu kola sambol, beetroot curry, kalupol-Sri lankan chicken curry(spicy black chicken curry). and date chutney.

Utensils and appliances needed.

Medium-sized non-stick pot.

2 medium-sized bowls.

Frequently asked questions:date and lime chutney

• What type of dates should I use for the chutney?
  • There are various types of dates in the market, under different brands.
  • For the chutney, make sure you choose dates that are soft and will break down easily as it cooks.
  • Avoid using extremely dry dates as they might need to be soaked overnight.

• Is the lime pickle you use for the recipe the same as a lemon preserve?
  • The Sri Lankan lime pickle we use for this chutney is different from the preserved lemon.
  • I would advise you not to replace the lime pickle(lunu dehi)with any type of lemon preserves.
  • Although not the same, you can use Indian pickle as a substitute but there might be a slight change in taste.

Workflow to make Sri Lankan date and lime chutney.

• Soak mustard overnight.
• deseed dates.
• heat spice and sugar.
• Combine all ingredients and slow-cook.

RECIPE DIFFICULTY-LITTLE CARE NEEDED.

Sri Lankan date and lime chutney.

The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

Ingredients to make the sweet chutney

500g of dates

1 tablespoon of mustard

2 tablespoons of chilli powder(add more if you want to spice it up).

8-9 Sri Lankan pickled lime(lunu dehi)

2 cups of vinegar

8 cloves of Garlic minced

2 tablespoons of minced ginger

3 cups of sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup raisins

Method

How to make a date and lime chutney.

Pre-preparation for making the lime and date chutney.
Have all the ingredients, prepped and ready. remove the seed of the dates and set them aside.

A few hours(2-3 hours) before making the chutney, soak the raisins in 1/2 a cup of water.

Important- remove all the seeds from the lime pickle, if there are any seeds then your chutney will become bitter so make sure to remove all the seeds.

Soak mustard seeds overnight in 1/4 cup of vinegar(out of the vinegar volume mentioned in the ingredient under vinegar). 

If you are able to find mustard powder then substitute the powder with mustard seeds.

Half an hour before making the chutney, blend the mustard(including the vinegar in which the mustard seeds were soaking)with ginger and garlic.

If you are using mustard powder, just mix the ginger and garlic.

Cut the Sri Lankan Lime(lunu dehi)into small strips and set them aside. remove all seeds.

Place a pan over low-medium heat, and add the blended mustard-ginger-garlic liquid, remaining vinegar(1 and 1/2 cups), chilli powder and sugar to the pan.

Slow-simmer the ingredients in the pan for 10 minutes. season with salt.

Add the dates, lime, and raisins(including the water the raisins were soaking in)into the pan and bring them to a boil within a few minutes.

Once boiled, immediately reduce and slow simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the chutney thickens.

While the chutney cooks, using a wooden spoon, constantly break down the dates, lime and raisins into smaller pieces until it reaches a smooth consistency of the chutney.

Always taste the chutney constantly and add more sugar or salt to balance the flavours.

If you find using a spoon hard, use a hand-held blender to blitz the chutney for a smoother texture.

Once the chutney is done, remove the pan from the fire, let the chutney completely cool, and then transfer the chutney into dry bottles and refrigerate.

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It’s free and on the blog, for you to try anytime.

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