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SRI LANKAN DATE AND LIME CHUTNEY

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.

thick date and lime chutney scooping with a silver spoon.

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.

date and lime chutney bottled and scooped with a silver spoon.
date and lime chutney stored in a bottle.

Medium-sized non-stick pot.

2 medium-sized bowls.

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

The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.

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

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.

Ingredients to make the date and lime chutney

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

soaking the raisins to make the date and lime chutney.

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.

Sri Lankan pickled lime

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

If you can find mustard powder then substitute the powder with mustard seeds.

powdered mustard to make the date and lime chutney

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.

cooking the vinaigrette to make the date and lime chutney


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.

cooking down the date and lime chutney

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.

date lime chutney mixing with a spoon

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cooking the day and lime chutney

Sri Lankan date and lime chutney.

Yield: 5
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
Sri Lankan date and lime chutney.

A spoon of this lip-smacking 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.

Ingredients

  • Ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.
  • 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

Instructions

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. you can add 1/4 cup of water to make the chutney blend easily.

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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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 419Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 72mgCarbohydrates: 107gFiber: 6gSugar: 96gProtein: 2g

Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.

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Poh Chin

Saturday 22nd of August 2020

I don’t think I can find the lime pickles, any other replacement?

jehan

Saturday 22nd of August 2020

Hi, Unfortunately, I can't recommend a substitute for lime pickle. have you tried any of the Asian stores around you. you might also be able to find a Sri Lankanor Indian store that will have the lime pickle. Regards, J

Pali

Friday 24th of July 2020

Can I use fresh limes if I dont have preserved limes. I am in New Zealand. Thankyou.

jehan

Saturday 25th of July 2020

Hi Pali, Please don't use fresh limes as this won't work. you will need the preserved limes to make this chutney. maybe you can check some of the Indian stores ? regards J

Kamini

Thursday 16th of July 2020

Any substitute for vinegar please!

jehan

Saturday 18th of July 2020

Hi kamini, I'm sorry but I can't think of any substitute but it seems white wine is sometimes substituted with vinegar. but how this will work on the wambotu mojo, I'm really not sure. If you do try it with white wine let me know the results. would love to give another option for my readers.

Peg

Tuesday 30th of June 2020

When you give the quantity of preserved limes, what would be the measured volume in grams?

jehan

Wednesday 1st of July 2020

Hi Peg, Apologies for the late reply. I think this would be roughly around 200 to 250g of preserved limes.

Betty

Tuesday 2nd of April 2019

Mustard seeds or dry mustard powder?

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