Fresh Mint Sauce
Fresh mint sauce is very easy to make and you will notice a real difference compared to the shop bought ones.
- It takes less than 10 minutes to make
- Has a much nicer taste than ‘shop bought’ mint sauce
- And will save money
Spearmint, Apple or Orange Mint ?
Mint sauce is ideal for traditional British meals like Roast Lamb and usually made with spearmint mint. But if you are feeling ‘adventurous’ why not try a different type of mint?
For example:
- Peppermint – is great for recipes like ‘Italian Roast Lamb’
- Apple mint – is often used tea or salads, but adds an ‘extra’ something to roast meats
- Orange mint – will add a citrusy flavour
- Lime mint – will give it a fruity mint flavour with a hint of lime
How to make fresh mint sauce
You will need the following
Ingredients
- 25 g Mint – Spearmint is great for lamb, peppermint is stronger
- 2 tbsp Boiling Water 30 ml
- 2 tbsp White wine vinegar 30 ml
- 2 tsp Caster sugar
- 1 pinch of Salt
Equipment
- A Chef Knife
- Chopping board and
- A Jug.
You won’t need much equipment – most of it is usually available in most kitchen at any stage.
Instructions
- Strip the mint leaves from the stalk and put on chopping board
- Chop the leaves into small pieces
- Put the leaves into a small serving bowl (or jug)
- Add the sugar, a pinch of salt and the boiling water
- Stir gently and leave for 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar
- And add the white wine vinegar to taste
- Then leave to rest for 1 hour before use
Video
The video below provides advice on how to make fresh mint sauce
How to store the fresh mint sauce
Making fresh mint is quick & easy, but the difficulty is often in how to keep the best possible flavour if you store it for a longer time.
The fresh mint sauce will be at it’s best if used quickly – not only with it’s lovely vibrant colour but also the taste.
You have 2 options:
Option 1 – A few days
In a sealed container it will be fine in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Option 2 – How to store fresh mint sauce in Jars
This is a bit more difficult but the advantage is that you can store it for 2 to 3 months in a fridge – great if you have grown a lot of mint and want to keep some for use at a later stage.
To do this you will need resealable glass jars, which need to be sterilised.
All you do is preheat the oven to 160 to 180°C. At the same time wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water.
Then you rinse the jars but do not dry them. Put the jars on a baking tray and put in the oven for 10 minutes. At the same time soak the lids in boiling water for a few minutes. Then take the jars from the oven and let cool on a kitchen towel
Using the funnel fill each jar, but not to the rim – leave about 1/2 inch from the top – and put on the lid. Put a dish towel in a large pot and put the jars on top. (That’s to stop the danger of them getting damaged). Fill the pot with water, so that the jars are covered, and bring to the boil.
Boil the jars for 40 minutes and then remove the jars and let cool down. If the lids are indented then the seal is perfect, if not use that jar within 14 days.
3 Key items to making fresh mint sauce.
The recipe lower down the page will show you exactly how to make it.
But there are 3 key elements to making the best possible fresh mint sauce:
1. Use freshest possible mint
You can either use fresh mint from the shops or grown at home.
Mint is very easy to grow at home but if you buy fresh mint from a shop – try to buy the mint that is still ‘on a plant’ rather than the one sold in bags.
2. Use either Granulated or Caster sugar
Either will work – I prefer using caster sugar but granulated sugar also works.
3. Use white wine vinegar
There are a number of different vinegar options you can use – the key is to use a vinegar that will not overpower the mint flavour. Similarly in the recipe below we recommend 15 to 30 ml – best option is to add 15 ml and then add some more depending on your own individually preferred taste.
Growing them at home is not very difficult – whether you want to grow them indoors (spare bedroom?) or outdoors.
Fresh mint makes a difference
Fresh mint leaves add real flavour to many recipes, like the fresh mint sauce recipe.
You can buy Fresh Mint in many shops (for example you can Buy it on Amazon)
But it’s also very easy to grow at home.
For example the After eight mint on the right.
- Was planted from a plug plant
- Grown in a pot (to stop it taking over the garden)
- And ready to use withing 30 days.
- And will keep growing and growing
If you want to grow your own mint at home then all you need is a plug plant and a pot.
But do note the different mint types all have a unique flavour (Orange mint, Spearmint, Apple Mint, etc.).
Fresh Mint Sauce
Equipment
- Chef Knife
- Jug
Ingredients
- 25 g Fresh Mint Leaves 1 small bunch
- 2 tbsp Boiling Water 30 ml
- 2 tbsp White wine vinegar 30 ml
- 1 tsp Caster sugar
- 1 pinch Salt
Instructions
- Strip the mint leaves from the stalk and put on chopping board
- Chop the leaves into small pieces
- Put the leaves into a small serving bowl (or jug)
- Add the sugar, a pinch of salt and the boiling water
- Stir gently and leave for 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar
- And the white wine vinegar and leave to rest for 1 hour before use
Video
Notes
- Use a knife to cut the mint and not a food blender – as a blender will turn the mint leaves to pulp
- If you use a spoon to slightly push the leaves down (when in the jug) this will release extra flavour
- Made with spearmint – a small tea spoon of fresh mint sauce can add a lovely flavour to pasta meals,
Nutrition
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