Make Your Very Own Mustard

Mustard is an ancient and versatile condiment.  Originally meaning hot or burning must from the Latin mustum ardens, the seeds of the Sinapis hirta (white or yellow mustard plant) were likely first used as a condiment by the ancient Romans.  Nowadays, most of us just pick the stuff up in the grocery store, but the process of making mustard is rather simple, and when you make it yourself, you have a lot of options.

Practically any variety of liquids can be used to make an acidic bath for Indian (Brassica juncea), black (B. nigra), or white/yellow seeds to soak in.  Once they're hydrated and soft, all that's left to do is grind the mustard to your desired consistency.  Think you can do this?  You're right.

There are a couple advantages to a homemade mustard:

First of all, you'll save money making it yourself.  Second, and more important in my opinion, you get to control the flavor, texture (coarse, smooth, etc), and intensity of the mustard.

As I mentioned before, mustard is made by soaking one kind or a variety of seeds in an acidic liquid, maybe adding some extra seasoning, and then grinding that into a paste.  The recipe I give here is a basic "standard" mustard that you can later mix with honey to make honey mustard, use to help emulsify and add flavors to vinaigrettes, or just slather on a sandwich or hotdog.  So let's talk about the ratio I use for mustard making.

Basically, the ratio is 2 part liquid to 1 part mustard (by weight).  If you soak 5 oz of mustard seeds in 10 oz water and grind it up, you'll be left with a really basic mustard.  You'd want to throw in some spice, sugar, and salt to balance the flavor of course, but let's go for something that while basic, is infinitely more complex in flavor than the above example.  The ratio I prefer to use is still based off of the 2:1 above, but breaks down the amount of liquid used in the recipe a bit more specifically.  The ratio for that gets kind of confusing, so we'll break it down another way.

I always like to start with the mustard seeds, because it makes calculating the rest of the ingredients very simple.  For the sake of illustration, let's say you have 2 ounces of seeds.   Well, you're going to need double that (4 oz) in liquid.  For my mustards, I like to make 75% (by weight) of my liquid something like beer, wine, or water, while the remaining 25% is composed of any kind of vinegar or citrus juice.

Therefore, if you've got 2 oz of any variety of mustard seeds, you'd add in 3 oz of beer, wine, or water, and 1 oz of something very acidic such as vinegar or lemon juice.  Since this is all by weight, you can further complicate your mustards by doing something like 1 oz yellow mustard: 1 oz Indian mustard: 1.5 oz champagne: 1.5 oz vermouth: .5 oz champagne vinegar: .5 oz lemon juice.  Make sense?  Good.

Now, it is recommended that you add some salt, sugar, and spices to balance the seasoning, but what is mandatory is that you let your mustard rest.  Making mustard is not for those who always need immediate gratification.  I'm posting this on a Sunday, so if I get a message from you on Tuesday complaining that your mustard is too hot and bitter, you're an idiot.  I'm sorry, but it's true.  After soaking and grinding your seeds, I recommend leaving the newly formed mustard out on the counter, uncovered, for a day, stirring every four to five hours.

You see, mustard has a lot of volatile sulfuric chemicals that are released when you bust open those seeds.  These need time to escape.  If you taste the mustard while it's sitting out on the counter, it will taste awful, guaranteed.  After that day-long rest, cover it and move it into the fridge where you need to let it sit for at least four days, but probably closer to seven.  If you don't like pungent mustard, don't even think about trying it for a week.  You shouldn't be scared by all of this, really.  All that's happening in this time period is the melding of flavors while the bitterness and raw heat from the mustard mellows out.

So be patient and your mustard will reward you.  If covered and refrigerated, your mustard should stay for at least 6 months.  Try making my "all purpose" variety you can use in any mustard application, or spruce yours up with some chopped fresh herbs (added after mustard is ground and rested) to serve with some charcuterie. 



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Ingredients (makes about a cup of mustard):

70 g yellow mustard seeds (2.5 oz or ~1/3 C + 1 T)
85 g of beer like a pilsner or lager (3 oz or ~1/3 C)
55 g of apple cider vinegar (2 oz or just under 1/4 C)
1/2 t chipotle powder (for some background smokiness)
1/2 t ground turmeric (for color)
1 t honey
1/2 t salt

48, 1 tsp servings	Calories	Protein (g)	Carbs (g)	Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Sugar (g)
Total:	390	17	34	20	965	10
Per Serving:	8	0	1	0	20	0

1.  Add seeds, beer, ACV, chipotle, turmeric, honey, and salt to a non-reactive bowl (not aluminum or copper).  Mix until honey and salt have dissolved.  Allow to soak loosely covered on countertop or cool place out of direct sunlight for at least a day.  You can wait two days if you have the patience.
2.  Add contents of bowl to blender or food processor.  Blend until you reach your desired consistency, stopping to scrape the sides if necessary.  During the blending, when the seeds begin to open up, you may be left with a very pasty mustard.  If this happens, just add liquid (I used beer) in 1 teaspoon increments until blends easily again.  I only needed to add one additional teaspoon of liquid.
3.  Move into a non-reactive container and let sit uncovered for a day in a cool place out of direct sunlight.  Stir every 4 to 5 hours to mix in the bits that get oxidized.  Your mustard will not be ruined by this, so don't worry.
4.  After a day's rest, cover and let it rest in the fridge for 4 to 7 days.  During this time, the extreme heat and bitterness from the seeds will mellow.  By the end of the week you should have a palpable mustard*.  If it still tastes too bitter or hot, leave it in the fridge until it mellows to a point where you can enjoy it.  Mustard will stay in the fridge for at least 6 months, and will continue to get less intense as it sits, so don't taste it and toss it if you think it's too strong.  Be patient.

*If you follow this recipe, your mustard should be good after a week in the fridge.  However, using different liquids or methods produce different results.  Soaking seeds in just water makes for a hotter mustard.  Additionally, some people recommend soaking the seeds in water first, draining, then moving into an acidic liquid to soak to cut down on mustard heat and bitterness.  I can't give any recommendations on anything other than my recipe. 

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