Simply homemade mint sauce, advice please.

My mother made it that way and so do I if you liked it made with vinegar and sugar do it that way, sometimes simple is best.

Have you fresh mint? If so just chop it very finely and stir vinegar into it, my grandmother used to add sugar I don’t, do not know what agrodolse is but if it’s not so thick as balsamic use that until it’s the consistency you like. , if not use the balsamic it will be interesting, who knows it might be better than the original method. Can I come?

The only way I know is as you describe. I wouldn't use balsamic vinegar and not sure what the other one is. We use malt or white.
Have a lovely meal.

Agrodolce bianco and aceto balsamico were a boxed Christmas present. Underneath the Bianca label it says sweet and sour white grapes.

My Nan ( and me as a child) used to make mint sauce exactly as you say, chopped mint leaves out the garden and added vinegar and sugar I d do exactly that for your guests what you get now in the shops is commercialised often jelly but much thicker than what we had
I don’t know what those two vinegars are I ve never heard of them I just use ordinary malt

Brown vinegar, chopped mint, a touch of sugar - boil, chill.

shysal

The only way I know is as you describe. I wouldn't use balsamic vinegar and not sure what the other one is. We use malt or white.
Have a lovely meal.

Same here, but I haven’t made it for years.

I agree. Chop mint finely add any type of vinegar, small amount of sugar and a little hot water from the kettle, helps dissolve the sugar . Lovely and much nicer than any thing you could buy!.Have a lovely family lunch

You could always add a little runny honey instead of the sugar. We use an old Delia Smith sauce , Fresh chopped Mint redcurrant jelly and orange rind we use grated lemon rind as we often put lemon into the lamb being roasted.

My grandma used to wash her home grown mint leaves .
Then , sprinkle them with white sugar and chop until she was satisfied .
They'd go into a small jug .
She'd add vinegar - dip her
finger in and pronounce it good .

I once asked her why she sprinkled the leaves with sugar .

That's the correct way to do it , she answered as if I were mad for asking !

And that's the way I do it !

When we have lamb, I make Delia's redcurrant, orange and mint sauce. Lovely - much nicer than traditional mint sauce. I'll try to find a link.

kittylester

When we have lamb, I make Delia's redcurrant, orange and mint sauce. Lovely - much nicer than traditional mint sauce. I'll try to find a link.

Ooh, that sounds lovely! I used to buy a fantastic apple and mint jelly from a local producer, but unfortunately they've stopped making their jams and jellies now. It was delicious with either lamb or pork.

Esmay

My grandma used to wash her home grown mint leaves .
Then , sprinkle them with white sugar and chop until she was satisfied .
They'd go into a small jug .
She'd add vinegar - dip her
finger in and pronounce it good .

I once asked her why she sprinkled the leaves with sugar .

That's the correct way to do it , she answered as if I were mad for asking !

And that's the way I do it !

Did we have the same G'ma?!

Mine had a 'mint sauce' jug - wide and shallow. She made mint sauce as you describe, so does my mum and so do I - no boiling involved.

Of the two vinegars available I'd go for the white one, based on no knowledge whatsoever except I would think twice about using Balsamic as it has a strong flavour of its own.

The agrodolce Branco is the perfect vinegar for min5 sauce, it’s not too strong and has a sweetness to it.
Chop the mint leaves and add a tablespoon of hot water and a pinch of sugar add vinegar.

After reading this thread I am now going to make my own mint sauce on Sunday - my mum did it the way you are all describing (no boiling).
Thank you mokryna and I hope you are happy with your mint sauce on Sunday. Happy Easter. 🐣

Lixy Ismay The sugar does two things - the sharp grains helps to chop the mint leaves, and the sweetness softens the impact of the vinegar. Try chopping half the leaves without sugar but sprinkle some on the other half before you chop. You will see a difference.

Thank you everyone, Brexit may have one good point, homemade mint sauce but I’m not attacking the Hot Cross Buns.
Elegran I will try that, if I remember.

I seem to remember my mum using a couple of tablespoons of hot water at some stage of the concoction (probably at the start with the chopped mint), and then topping up with malt vinegar and a little bit of sugar. We always used the commonplace mint from the garden which grew in profusion - the bane of my dad's life! It tasted delicious and I've never been able to recreate it myself. Enjoy your delicious lunch!

You probably don't have enough mint in the garden for the sauce now, and the leaves will be very small and fiddly. So I would buy some from a supermarket. It is interesting that some think that balsamic vinegar is good in mint sauce, and others not. I personally think that balsamic is too heavy for mint sauce, but it's personal taste. I like to use cider vinegar which I think a little lighter than classic malt vinegar.

This is our family recipe: Every late summer, gather lots of mint (I grow in tubs which I change on alternate years) chop fairly finely, but to taste, and store in a screwtop jar with enough vinegar to cover. When wanted, take out a few spoonsful, add a little sugar, and more vinegar to taste. Any left over can go back in the jar.

I think that the boiling water is to soften the leaves, but our family thinks that they are fine as they are. And I always make it for French friends - I think it so unlike any of their classic sauces which is why they like it.

Enjoy your roast dinner! Oh, and if you buy ones of those pots with the mint in, bung it in a tub afterwards.

I make it the way my Dad used to. Chop fresh mint leaves finely, add sugar and a little water from a freshly boiled kettle. This was to dissolve the sugar and add vinegar to the consistency you require.

That's how I make it, mokryna, strip the leaves from the stalks, chop, add vinegar (not balsamic) but white wine or cider vinegar is good, add a teaspoon of sugar.
No boiling or water involved.

Or I put it all in the little electric chopping machine I have, whiz until the mint is chopped to the right consistency.

Elegran

*Lixy Ismay* The sugar does two things - the sharp grains helps to chop the mint leaves, and the sweetness softens the impact of the vinegar. Try chopping half the leaves without sugar but sprinkle some on the other half before you chop. You will see a difference.

Yes, I have sprinkled the sugar on the leaves before chopping and it does help.

I think the mint is just beginning to grow here, ours is in a huge tub to stop it spreading everywhere.

I make my own quite often because the mint grows well and we usually have some all the year round. I have to admit, sadly, that I prefer the mint jelly in a jar. My sweet tooth I suppose!

Esmay describes the way my mum used to make mint sauce and how I used to do it too, until I got lazy.

I’d use a lighter vinegar, too.