Pumpkin Mustard


I am taking the vaccination against Covid and flu rather badly this year. The vaccines had to be staggered by a week and a half because the delivery of the flu vaccine was delayed. After each shot, first, my arm hurt for three days like I was kicked by a mule and after that subsided, I was tired, depressed, and had an elevated temperature in the afternoon for over a week. I had a lot of work to do but I managed very little.

Those issues notwithstanding, I would like to share a recipe for pumpkin mustard, one of those things I have done with this year’s insane harvest. I did use one of the hokkaido squash that I wrote about previously. Hokkaido has firm flesh with a rich yellow color and is thus superbly suitable for this.

© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

I put the following ingredients into the pot:

  • 2 kg of finely grated pumpkin flesh
  • 2 finely minced white peppers (for spicier mustard one can use hot peppers, goat horn peppers, or even chillis if you feel suicidal)
  • 100 ml of vinegar
  • 250 ml of cooking oil (in my case sunflower oil)
  • 120 g of sugar
  • 60 g of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of white pepper (added because it is milder in taste than black pepper and also is not visible in the finished product, optional)
  • 5 tablespoons of soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh shroomce (optional, 1 spoon of Worchester sauce can be used for spicier taste, I don’t like Worchester sauce that much)

I started to slow cook it under the lid until all the pumpkin pieces softened and started to break apart. Once that happened I added three 180 g glasses of storebought french mustard and mixed and shredded it thoroughly with food mixer into a smooth paste. If you are hardcore on self-made, you can use mustard seeds and not mustard.

© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

I did mix it really thoroughly until it was smooth. I then carefully and slowly evaporated some water until it had an appropriate consistency when cooled. It did not take too long, hokkaido pumpkin is not too watery.

I put the finished product into small screw-top jars which I subsequently sterilized at 80°C for 20 minutes and then opened and closed when hot to form a proper vacuum seal. I made enough mustard to last me for several years, and from experience I know that it can last for several years in the cellar.

© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.

Since this is a rather special product as far as I am concerned, I went through the trouble of designing and printing labels. One glass failed to form a proper vacuum seal so I put it in the refrigerator for immediate consumption. It is delicious, although I will add a little bit more spices next time, possibly more white pepper and maybe a touch more vinegar. That is a long way off though, like I said, this batch should last for at least two years.

Comments

  1. Tethys says

    It’s very pretty in the jars with their custom labels.

    Is it a condiment? A soup? I would classify it a type of chutney based on the ingredients, but my definition of mustard is a condiment that is mostly mustard seed based, plus vinegar, salt, and seasonings. I’m quite fond of honey mustard, but generally eat it as a dipping sauce for fried chicken or pretzels rather than a condiment on a sandwich.

  2. says

    @Tethys, we use it as a normal mustard, i.e. mostly as a condiment to meats and cheeses. Technically it could be called a chutney too but I’m not too worried about the nomenclature, it looks like mustard, it tastes like mustard, and mustard seeds are one of the main ingredients so I am calling it mustard.

  3. dangerousbeans says

    ah, the mustard is in the text, not the ingredient list. threw me for a second
    i agree i would probably call it some sort of chutney, but that’s a discussion i would have after eating it :P sounds really tasty

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