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The original was posted on /r/askculinary by /u/SpandexWizard on 2023-09-15 03:57:06.

So I’ve been on a bender to try making my own mustard from scratch. My first attempt was abysmal, but the second go feels… nearly right? I’ve been taking the time to taste each of the ingredients individually and then taste the mustard to see how they alter the flavor, and I’m getting to a point where the mustard doesn’t taste absolutely wretched, but it’s still Not Right. If I taste store bought dijon mustard the flavor is wildly different. I can taste all the same notes as in my mustard, but there’s something more. And I can’t even describe what it is. It’s a mellowness compared to the bitter of pure mustard seed, like sweet but it’s not sweet at all. In a vacuum I’d almost call it tart. growing up it was the flavor I associated with mustard, which is funny because now I know that the harsher note at the bottom edge of store bought mustard is what comes from the mustard seed. It’s even more pronounced in yellow mustard. The fact I can’t even describe what this flavor is, let alone how to make it, is driving me crazy.

My last batch was decently simple, though my measurements are anything but precise. Two, maybe three teaspoons of indian black mustard seed, a bit too much salt, maybe three teaspoons chilled water and twice that much basalmic vinegar. Enough to make it a paste. A dash of tumeric (I was testing it because I know tumeric is used in yellow mustard).

I deviate some on the traditional method of making it by using a coffee grinder on the dry seed, which works surprisingly well. I’m careful not to let the seeds heat up during the grinding process by only grinding for a few seconds at a time. I’m unsure if not soaking the seeds before grinding is my problem or not, but I did it that way the first time and it was no better. Worse actually, but I’ll chalk that up to a poor mix of ingredients. The second batch tasted almost palettable when I first mixed it but after letting it chill in the fridge for a day, it became incredibly spicy (which I actually like…) and the vinegar became much more distinct (which I do not …). I have a feeling I added too much vinegar near the end trying to bump the flavor closer to what I was expecting and if I’d sat on it in the fridge first it would have been better.

But it still doesn’t taste like mustard!

So, rambling aside, does anyone know what that flavor IS? Do you know what I’m talking about? Or what I could add to change my mustard so it tastes more like… mustard?