“We don’t have to make everything ourselves,” was his response when I excitedly said that I’m going to make some mustard to replace our nearly empty store-bought jar. I may have taken it as a challenge, trying to come up with even more things that don’t have to be bought ready made. I already make my own nut butters and crisps, going to try mustard now… what else could I make at home? (This is the part where you give me suggestions and I try to actually make them! Sharing the recipes here, of course.)
I was doubly excited to do this since I had been clearing out some stuff at my old room at parents place, finding some delightful items for using as photo backgrounds. Some handmade table-cloths, some nice crochet attempts, some old colourful silk scarves that were too broken for wearing… I wanted to pair some white patterns with this delightfully yellow mustard. It’s even more yellow than normally, since I decided to add some turmeric for health benefits and colour. It probably looks a bit unnatural on photos, but I can swear to you that it actually is abnormally bright yellow.
Honey and dill mustard
100 g yellow mustard seeds
100 ml dry white wine
3 tbsp honey
1 tsp dried dill
0.5 tsp turmeric
some salt and black pepper
Soak the mustard seeds in cold water for 12-24 hours. Don’t use an aluminium bowl as that can react with mustard. I used a ceramic bowl and covered it with a plate. Why cover? Well, the seeds can acquire an interesting smell during soaking. Mine smelled like fried egg after 24h. But that’s okay, I just rinsed them properly under cold water once done.
Separate one heaped tablespoon of soaked seeds, put them aside. Blend all other ingredients together with a handblender until it looks rather smooth. It will look an almost scary shade of yellow due to the added turmeric. I like it, but you can of course skip turmeric if you’re not a fan. Once everything is blended, add the previously separated seeds and stir well. If you want a completely smooth mustard, just blend all the seeds from the beginning. Having some whole seeds in makes the texture more interesting in my opinion, so I like adding them in the end.
If you like very strong mustard, it’s done! Don’t be scared if you do not like the taste at all at this point – mustard will mellow over time if left on a counter. Put the mixture in jars, but instead of storing them in the fridge, leave the shut jars at room temperature until the desired taste is achieved. It will slowly mellow in the fridge as well, but the cold makes the process very slow. How long should you leave it out? Depends on your preferences! It can be anything from a day to weeks or even months. Just keep tasting it until you like it.
So what I’m trying to say is “don’t give up on your mustard!” just because it doesn’t make you ooh and aah immediately. It’s completely normal, just put it aside and let it mature a bit. Also, don’t be afraid to experiment! Take the base mixture (seeds and something sour, be it dry wine or vinegar or sour apple juice…), mix that and then make small separate batches with different flavourings. Start eating them or give them out as presents once the taste has mellowed enough and you’ll have a happy mustard time.
The Angry Hungry Hobbit 