Making mustard
Also searched as: making mustard, mustard from mustard seeds, hot mustard, mild mustard
In short: Mustard seeds only turn hot once they are crushed and mixed with water. An enzyme then creates the heat, and vinegar sets how hot it stays.
Like a camera: water opens the shutter, vinegar closes it. Whatever happens in between stays in the picture.
- 75 g mustard seeds (yellow for mild, brown for hot)
- water
- 2–3 tbsp white wine or cider vinegar
- ½ tsp salt, 1–2 tbsp sugar or honey
- mortar or blender
Sharp fumes rise when grinding: do not lean right over the blender.
Step by step: what happens
- 1Soak the seeds in water for a few hours
They swell and are easier to crush. Cold water makes the hotter, warm water milder.
Heat: chilli, pepper and mustard - 2Drain and grind coarsely or finely with salt and sugar
When crushed, an in the seeds meets its partner substance. Together they form the hot mustard oils.
Enzyme - 3Wait a few minutes, then stir in vinegar
stops the enzyme. Vinegar early gives mild mustard, vinegar later gives hot.
Acid (lemon, vinegar) - 4Fill into a jar and let it mellow in the fridge for 2–3 days
Fresh, it is biting and bitter. Over time it turns rounder and milder.
Result
About one small jar of mustard.
Keeps for
Several months in the fridge. Vinegar and salt preserve it.
What to use it for
- With sausages, in vinaigrette, in mayonnaise as a helper for the emulsion.
- Wholegrain with cheese and meat.
MayonnaiseSources · 2
- Popular Science: How to make mustard
- Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004)