Chef George Chen got the idea for China Live’s House Hot Mustard from his college dim sum days; he was always served a dish of the hot yellow condiment alongside savory-sweet barbecued char siu pork. The sinus-clearing mustard cut through the unctuous, molasses flavor of the pork. Chen’s hot mustard isn’t as overpowering as what’s standard in Chinese restaurants, which is usually made by combining a strong ready-made powder with oil, water or vinegar. His version revives the lost art of making mustard, carefully balancing 10 ingredients—including a house-ground five-spice powder and fresh lemon juice for tang—for a mustard that is milder than the average but still punchy, with noticeable warmth from the spice.
Mustard seeds, a pungent ingredient used throughout Asia for flavoring, are the base for the condiment: Powdered seeds are blended with spices and a liquid, usually oil, water or vinegar, to make the sauce. Its biting heat—reminiscent of wasabi or horseradish—is a common foil for fried foods or fatty cuts of meat, like pork belly.
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China Live’s mustard works beautifully in classic uses, as a dip for egg rolls or served alongside slow-roasted pork belly. Try this hot mustard as a dipping sauce or anywhere you would use yellow mustard: on top of hot dogs (particularly those served Chinese-bakery style, wrapped in a soft milk bun with scallions); warm, salty Bavarian soft pretzels; or mixed into your egg or potato salad dressing. Swap hot mustard for both types of mustard in our recipe for Mustard-Roasted Cauliflower and follow the same cooking instructions. Lamb and mustard are a classic pairing: For our Spicy Chinese Beef Skewers (Niu Ruo Chuan), slather lamb or beef with hot mustard before cooking the skewers, or serve with hot mustard as a dip. Try this mustard spread on a sandwich or to cut through the sweet hoisin sauce in our Pork and Hoisin “Hamburgers.”
China Live’s mustard works beautifully in classic uses, as a dip for egg rolls or served alongside slow-roasted pork belly. Try this hot mustard as a dipping sauce or anywhere you would use yellow mustard: on top of hot dogs (particularly those served Chinese-bakery style, wrapped in a soft milk bun with scallions); warm, salty Bavarian soft pretzels; or mixed into your egg or potato salad dressing. Swap hot mustard for both types of mustard in our recipe for Mustard-Roasted Cauliflower and follow the same cooking instructions. Lamb and mustard are a classic pairing: For our Spicy Chinese Beef Skewers (Niu Ruo Chuan), slather lamb or beef with hot mustard before cooking the skewers, or serve with hot mustard as a dip. Try this mustard spread on a sandwich or to cut through the sweet hoisin sauce in our Pork and Hoisin “Hamburgers.”
China Live, a San-Francisco-based company by Chef George Chen, produces small batches of artisanal Chinese sauces and condiments. China Live combines modern interpretations of ancient Chinese cooking with Bay Area sensibilities: They organically grow or sustainably source traditional ingredients, including Chinese flavoring staples like hawthorn berries and bay leaves.
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