The main ingredient is yellow mustard seed powder, which you should be able to get almost anywhere. You can also add brown or black mustard seeds (note that they look almost identical), in whole or ground form (I don’t see much availability of these as pre-ground, you generally have to grind them yourself). To make the condiment mustard, you’ll mix water, vinegar and spices in with your mustard powder/seeds. You then need to wait a couple of days for it to get less bitter – hold in mind while tasting it at first that it’s going to be bitter.
The main rule of thumb is that the temperature of water you use will play a big role in spiciness – the hotter the water, the less spicy the resulting mustard is. It seems really sensitive – when I made some with not-quite-boiling water because I was being lazy, it was much spicier than when I made it with just boiled water. What I don’t think is necessary is to actually cook the mustard on the stove top – I’ve seen a couple of recipes like this online, and it just sounds like a good way to gas the entire house.
Since it’s just a condiment, you can also continue to adjust it after you’ve mixed it initially. I sometimes find the balance of sweetness isn’t quite to my liking once it’s sat for a couple of days.
Here’s a semi-recipe for a nice generic style of mustard for sandwiches. I’m not giving proportions since I just mix and taste, mix and taste until I like the result:
Yellow mustard seed powder
Brown mustard seeds
Garlic powder (I find this really helps the flavor)
Salt
Pepper
Turmeric (for color)
Boiling water
Honey
White wine (not much)
Apple cider vinegar
White wine vinegar
Mix ingredients, taste. Hold in mind that the brown mustard seeds will absorb a LOT of liquid and approximately double in size, so make this runnier than you’d want it to be, and it will become thicker. Place in jar in fridge, let sit 2-3 days until less bitter, enjoy on sandwiches.
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| Tasty mustard, in an artichoke heart jar (perfect size!) |