There is currently a risk of price increases for many products, including mustard. Because 80 percent of the mustard seeds imported into Germany come from Russia and Ukraine. Mustard consists mainly of the ground grains of the mustard plant, supplemented by a few ingredients that round off the taste and ensure the right consistency. You can easily make mustard yourself.
Mustard gives dishes the right flavor and, if desired, the necessary spiciness. It can be found in dressings and sauces, some even put it pure on bread. During the barbecue season, it is served with ketchup on the barbecue, whether vegan sausages or beef steak.
The most important thing about mustard are the mustard seeds, i.e. the mustard grains or seeds. Their type and origin determine how it tastes and whether it is mild or spicy. The mustard oil in the seeds, which is made up of fatty and ethereal aroma components, is responsible for the taste and sharpness.
Brown and black mustard seeds have a particularly pungent mix of these flavors, and the mustard made from them is correspondingly pungent. Dijon mustard may even be made exclusively from dark seeds. Other pastes mainly contain milder yellow grains.
Make your own mustard: you need it
Because mustard is mostly ground-up seeds, making your own mustard is pretty easy. You only need the following ingredients. Together they make about the amount that two normal mustard jars (250 ml each) contain.
- 200 g mustard seeds, light, dark, or both mixed (alternatively 200 g mustard flour)
- 275 ml white balsamic vinegar
- 100ml of water
- 80 grams of sugar
- 3 tsp salt
some turmeric for coloring if desired.
Make your own mustard: This is how the preparation works
Once you have all the ingredients, do the following:
- Grind the mustard seeds as finely as possible, preferably in a coffee grinder or mortar. The finer you grind the mustard flour, the finer the mustard will be later.
- If you prefer to use mustard flour straight away, you can skip the first step.
- Heat the water and white balsamic vinegar in a saucepan before removing the saucepan from the heat and allowing the liquid to cool to lukewarm.
- While the vinegar mixture cools, mix together the mustard flour, sugar, salt, and turmeric.
- Then pour the liquid over the dry ingredients.
- Then mix everything with the mixer for at least 5 minutes.
- Finished! Pour your mustard into sterilized, sealable jars. Stored in a cool place, your mustard can now be kept for up to three months.
Make mustard yourself: ideas for mustard variations
If you want to add a special touch to your homemade mustard, you can refine it with other ingredients as you wish. Here are some ideas:
- Extra hot mustard: If the natural heat of the mustard oil is not enough for you, you can add crushed chili, wasabi paste, or a dash of Tabasco to your mustard.
- Fruit mustard: The mustard gets a fruitier note if you refine the recipe with the zest of a lemon or orange before pureeing, add some fig puree, or add some dried fruit to the blender.
- Herb mustard: The mustard taste becomes richer and broader if you enrich your seasoning paste with herbs. Simply add some wild garlic, dill, rosemary, garlic, or thyme to the recipe, either in dried form in the mortar or fresh from the garden in the blender.
Which mustard seeds for homemade mustard?
White and yellow mustard seeds tend to taste milder, brown and black seeds much sharper. However, there is a trick to getting medium-hot mustard: It is best to use a mixture of different mustard seeds, advises the Bavarian Consumer Advice Centre.