Day 27 Pumpkin Challenge - Lime Chutney

Lime Chutney was one of the first ways that I discovered for preserving a glut of pumpkins. It is a really useful recipe because it actually uses quite a fair bit of pumpkin all in one go and, if properly sealed into jars, the resulting chutney has a shelf-life of about two years so you don't have to eat it all in a hurry.

This chutney goes very well with Indian cuisine and over the years I have had it tasted by authentic Indian chefs and have received nods of approval, so if you like a dollop of chutney with your Indian meal, you can't go wrong with this recipe.

Lime Chutney (makes 3 jars)

680g pumpkin
500 ml white wine vinegar 
4 limes
1 small onion
2 teaspoons peppercorns, 7 cardamom pods, seeds extracted
1 teaspoon turmeric, A dash of olive oil
2 teaspoons mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon crushed chillies
4 crushed garlic cloves, 2.5cm grated root ginger
85g sultanas
225g light brown sugar

Peel and dice the pumpkin then cook in the vinegar for about 30 minutes until soft. Remove the skin from two of the limes but leave it on the other two. Finely chop the limes and onion. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the spices until they start to pop. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for 1 minute. Put the lime mix in the pan with the pumpkin, add the sultanas and spices and stir in the sugar. Simmer to reduce until thick then ladle into warmed jars and seal immediately. Leave to mature for 4-6 weeks.