“Oh yes mustard! That'll do ... Mustard? Don't let's be silly. Now lemon, that's different.” —Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland

Tangy or sweet, subtle or potent or super spicy, mustard is a lot of things, but even made with limes (or lemons, if you rather), it’s hardly silly. Delicious is more like it. In fact, the only silly thing about mustard may be sticking to the ordinary types in squeeze bottles you find at supermarkets. But there’s no reason to just be silly. You can make zippy, zingy and easy mustards with truly unique flavors right at home.

There are three types of mustard seeds generally used for cooking: black, brown and white (sometimes called yellow), which you can find at your local grocery store. Black and brown seeds are often used in hotter, more pungent mustards, while white seeds are usually used in the milder mustards favored in the United States. Mustard powder can be found in the herbs or bulk herbs aisle at your grocery store, or made by finely grinding mustard seeds using a mortar and pestle.

Using any type of mustard seed, the flavor is most potent when the prepared mustard is fresh, and becomes less intense over time. And while a basic mustard simply involves soaking tangy mustard powder (or ground mustard seeds) in vinegar, water or other liquid, once you start experimenting with herbs and other flavors, the possibilities are endless!

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Lime Mustard with Coriander

From Mustards, Ketchups & Vinegars, by Carol W. Costenbader

Ingredients

2-1/8 cups white mustard seeds, ground

2 tbsp mustard powder

1/2 cup water2/3 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground coriander seeds

Grated zest (rind) of 1 lime

2-1/4 tbsp lime juice

Directions

In a bowl, combine the ground mustard seeds and mustard powder with the water. Allow to marinate for 3 hours. Transfer the mixture to a food processor, and gradually add the other ingredients except the lime juice when processing. Sample the mixture, adding enough of lime juice to make it smooth. Spoon into small sterilized jars. Cap the jars tightly, and label. Store in the refrigerator for several months. Yields 2 cups.