There are no signs of the shortage hitting American homes just yet, but in case it does, this may be a good time to get a bag of mustard seeds and learn how to make your own. It’s surprisingly simple, highly customizable, and the science involved in managing mustard’s spiciness is a lot cooler than you may have imagined. A good starting point, in our opinion, is the basic American mustard recipe: mild, strikingly yellow, and perfect on a ballpark hot dog. You’re welcome to make your own adjustments to spiciness and texture. The sky’s the limit. 3. Add the dry ingredients. Once the seeds have been ground into a paste, mortar and pestle users can add the rest of their dry ingredients. Anyone using an electric grinder will have to add all of them. If you’re using turmeric powder (responsible for American mustard’s bright yellow color) or any other spice or herb, this is your chance to pour them in and mix.
Pro tip: If you want to skip this and the next step, get mustard powder instead of seeds. The downside is that you’ll have a hard time finding anything other than yellow mustard powder, but it’ll help you get an instantaneous creamy texture with minimal effort. Get creative: You don’t necessarily have to add water—what matters is moisture. If you want to experiment by soaking your seeds in beer or another beverage, knock yourself out.
Pro tip: If you’re using a mortar and pestle, add your salt and sugar. The crystals will make it easier to break the seeds.
- (Optional) Add water. If you took the mustard powder shortcut (there’s absolutely no shame in it) add water now. The temperature principle we explained in Step 1 also applies here: the hotter the water, the milder the mustard. Room-temperature or warmer water is perfect for American mustard.
- Add vinegar or wine. Vinegar has the crucial role of setting the level of spiciness in mustard (more science coming ahead). If you want to give your condiment the biggest kick you can, wait a couple of minutes before you add the vinegar.
- (Optional) Strain the mustard. If you want mustard with grain and texture, you can leave it as-is. But if you want a creamy paste, you must use a fine mesh strainer to sift the mustard from the crushed seeds. There’s no easy shortcut for this, but some condiment creators recommend using the pestle against a metal strainer to get more out of your effort. When you crush a mustard seed in a wet environment (like your mouth, or a mortar and pestle with a couple tablespoons of water) the interaction between myrosinase and sinigrin triggers an enzymatic reaction that forms a third compound called allyl isothiocyanate (AITC). This is a highly volatile compound that gives mustard and other hot bites, like wasabi, their signature kick. But if you’ve ever felt wasabi’s unmistakable nasal burn, you know that AITC doesn’t stop at your tongue. Its volatility gives it the ability to travel through your airways and stimulate pain receptors in your nose, too. This is actually a defense mechanism for the mustard plant, ensuring anything that eats its seeds gets a spicy kick in the gut instead of a tasty meal.
Pro tip: Just like honey, mustard doesn’t go bad. It might dehydrate, but add a little water or vinegar to it and it’ll be good as new. There’s some captivating science behind that, too.
Mustard seeds are like detergent pods, in that they contain compartmentalized compounds that create something new when you crush the seed and the compounds mix together. In this case, there are two ingredients: an enzyme called myrosinase and a specific glucosinolate called sinigrin. “If they were to remove it, the product would spoil very quickly,” Lim explains. “The presence of that blob of wasabi can put a stop to microbial growth for a significant time.” “All the culinary tricks and trade secrets are based on modulating this enzymatic reaction,” Lim says. That’s not to say you should start washing your hands with mustard, but hopefully, you’ll close this window with a newfound appreciation for that spicy gold. And hopefully, you try making your own because it’s fun, and not because shelves have been stripped of this delicious, creamy condiment.
