Who doesn’t love mustard on your Ham or other cold meats??

I can get it here on occasions although as it is imported and I know you can’t have everything at local prices… Once it disappears from the shelves…stock control is not great here…It could be months before you see it again and yes we could stockpile but only so much…

A big cheer went up from me…Well, that didn’t last… I have got the mustard seeds from here before…but not anymore it’s that black hole of…” we no have, madam”

I tried online and unless I wanted to buy a minimum of a Tonne..yes this is not a typo a tonne of Black mustard seeds.  Or it was we don’t deliver to your area…. mmm

Then salvation came along in the guise of our friend Jan and he posted me some… Oh for good friends…I owe you a jar Jan 🙂

Well, the recipe didn’t go quite as planned however the result is a very nice whole grain mustard… but I now know why my Indian friends dry roast their spices it is not only to release their lovely flavours but to dry them out and then you should get a nice powder.

It took a while and a few tweaks but thank you for the recipe, Rex.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cold quality vinegar (wine vinegar, rice vinegar etc.)

1/2 a cup of cold water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 of a cup of mustard seeds

 

Let’s Cook!

 Mix together the water, vinegar, salt, and turmeric, then chill this in the refrigerator for a half hour to an hour.

 Grind the mustard, then pour the cold liquid over the ground mustard immediately. Set it in the refrigerator overnight before using, for the best flavour.

If you don’t want yellow mustard, simply omit the turmeric.

The reason for the emphasis on cold vinegar and water is because this retains the flavour of the mustard,  otherwise, it loses its pungency quickly. Let it stand overnight as this reduces the bitterness although I found 2/3 days was much better.

Also, as it chills, it should thicken up. This is the reason that store-bought mustard can be difficult to get out of the container if it comes directly from the refrigerator and isn’t at room temperature.

 This mustard will keep in the refrigerator for about a year due to its vinegar content.

My second batch as you can see from the photo is smoother but I think I need to either dry my seeds in the oven or in the sun as dry frying it is so easy to burn them..which I did with the first batch so had to start again. However on doing a little research of my own I have found another recipe which recommends soaking the mustard seeds for 24/48hrs and then putting them in a small food processor and you will have a smooth paste after then passing the paste through a fine metal sieve however if you want a grainier mustard then pass on the final step.

My quest for a smooth mustard like the famous Colman’s mustard is not yet over but a work in progress……I will keep you updated…

In the meantime, my son taste tested …we had a little Colman’s mustard left so he used both on his dinner and said he really couldn’t taste any difference so it got the thumbs up from him and as he is a very good chef that was praise indeed!

About me and my cooking:

I use natural ingredients wherever possible. I do not use packet or bottled ready made mixes. I also do not use a microwave ( for personal) reasons.

I cook as far as it is humanly possible with fresh, home grown or home made condiments. I support local farmers as much as I can. Saying that I am not fanatical and on occasions, I buy a bottle of salad cream…I just don’t buy ready meals or meals in a packet or tin I like to make my own.

To be honest, a lot of foodstuffs which I used to buy are so easy to make, more flavoursome and cheaper and importantly better for your health.

Once I have perfected this mustard I will be attempting to make Worcestershire sauce. Will it taste like the famous Lea & Perrins sauce? Which I buy at the moment but intend to add it to my repertoire of homemade sauces etc…The list is growing.

N.B. I have added a clickable link on mustard seeds which will give you further benefits and uses of this little seed.

Until next time enjoy!