For Chinese Appetizers, Try This Sinus-Clearing Condiment Instead Of Sweet And Sour Sauce

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At just about any Chinese American restaurant across the country, your table will be set with two standard sauces of contrasting color and taste. The first is a sweet and sour or fruitier duck sauce that is of an orange hue and looks a little jelly-like. The second is a yellowish mustard that looks harmless enough, but one small taste will reveal its eye-watering pungency that can shoot straight to the top of your head much like Japanese wasabi.

While mustard has been flavoring food since ancient times, Chinese hot mustard is a particular variety that is made from dried and ground brown mustard seeds. These brown seeds are much spicier than the white mustard seeds that are turned into traditional American yellow mustard. The bottled version of this kicky dip has been gracing Chinese restaurant tables since the 1950s. As a kid, I remember my dad asking the waiter to remove the mustard from the table when we went out for Chinese food. We were not a spice-loving family and just a whiff of it on the table must have felt like too much. It was that spicy.

Although I wouldn't suggest eating it on its own, which feels like more of a dare, tangy and piquant hot mustard cuts through the richness of many Chinese appetizers, especially ones that are fried. Worthwhile targets are the ubiquitous bowl of crunchy noodles intended for you to enjoy while you wait for your food to arrive and uniquely American Chinese starters like crab rangoons. Thinner and more crispy spring rolls or more satiating and stuffed egg rolls also welcome the heat of Chinese mustard to cut through all of that savoriness. Or, use small dabs of this fiery condiment on each item in a throwback array of appetizers on a Pu Pu platter (IYKYK).

While Chinese hot mustard is standard issue at most Chinese restaurants, you can easily make your own at home. You can buy dried Chinese mustard powder online (like S&B's on Amazon), at many grocery stores, or Asian markets. Through the magic of an enzyme reaction, the dried mustard powder becomes ready for its sinus-clearing role by simply being mixed with an equal amount of cold water. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes for the mustard to bloom to maximum spiciness and falls off on the potentially punishing scale after that. You can also tame it with vinegar, a neutral oil, or even boiling water if you choose. However you come by it, just use your Chinese hot mustard sparingly or you might end up having a comedic Kramer-style knee-jerk reaction to the spice that would have been worthy of the "Seinfeld" episode "The Chinese Restaurant."