Mayonnaise may be produced in a great variety and flavours. It has been enjoyed for centuries across the world. While much mayonnaise is consumed with breads and crackers, with its gaining popularity in culinary use, it is incorporated in myriad dishes including omelette, pasta, pizza, sandwich, salad and many baked dishes. Addition of this food ingredient can brighten up your breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Try out a few mayonnaise food recipes that are delicious to eat and fun to make:

Macaroni salad

Take one cup of boiled macaroni. Add one tablespoon each of finely chopped red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper and onion. Add one cup of pineapple cubes (tinned pineapple) and half cup of boiled sweet corn kernels. Add little black pepper powder, salt, half teaspoon of sugar, one table spoon of extra virgin olive oil and two tablespoons of homemade mayonnaise. Mix all ingredients well with a serving spoon. Refrigerate for two hours. Serve chilled.

Omelette

Beat two eggs in a mixing bowl. Add in one teaspoon each of finely chopped onion, mushrooms, tomato, green coriander leaves and red bell pepper. Add one finely chopped green chilli and little salt. Mix all ingredients well. Heat a non-stick pan. Add two teaspoons of olive oil. Spread the mixture all over the pan by twirling the pan slightly. Cook for three to four minutes. Spread a thin layer of homemade mayonnaise and mozzarella cheese. Fold it and serve hot.

Burger

Mix one tablespoon of mayonnaise with half tablespoon of tomato ketchup. Slice a burger bun in two halves. Spread the mayonnaise on the bottom layer. Place all finely sliced vegetables like cucumber, tomato and onion over it. Place a patty. Cover it with a cheese slice. Place a loose lettuce leaf on the top. Close the burger bun with its other half. Grill it to the desired doneness. A rich and juicy burger is ready to eat.

Sandwich

Take two good quality bread slices. Grab some homemade mayonnaise and spread it on the bottom slice. On top of the mayonnaise place a cheese slice. Then add thinly sliced cucumber, tomato and onion. A loose leaf of lettuce is added next on the top of the sliced vegetables. Cover with the second bread piece and grill until golden crisp. The lettuce on the top layer will stop the bread from getting soggy and the mayonnaise in the bottom layer will help the cheese to stay on the sandwich instead of sliding out when you take your first bite if you eat the sandwich without grilling.

Baked potato

Mash four boiled potatoes. Mix in little salt, black pepper powder, four flakes of finely chopped garlic and little oregano well. Make small patties and bake in an oven until golden brown. Spread mayonnaise on the top layer while serving. Serve hot.

Sometimes if you run out of mayonnaise and do not want a trip to the store or if you just want to impress your guests, you can make mayonnaise at home. It is the simplest and cheapest food ingredient that can be made at home. It tastes just like the store-bought one.

Mayonnaise can be made with egg or without egg. Here is the simple recipe to make both the variants:

Eggless mayonnaise

In a large mixing bowl, take one cup of canola oil, half cup of full cream chilled milk, half teaspoon each of mustard powder, sugar and salt to taste. Blend all these ingredients with a handy mixer till all the ingredients mix well. The mixture will become thick and creamy. This process requires eight to ten minutes. Then add one teaspoon of vinegar and one tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix with handy mixer again until both the ingredients mix well with the mixture. The mayonnaise is ready. Transfer it in an airtight glass bottle. You can store it in refrigerator for a week.

Mayonnaise with egg

Take three egg yolks in a big mixing bowl. Add one teaspoon each of lemon juice and vinegar. Take one cup of canola oil. Whisk in a few drops of canola oil. Whisk as hard as possible. When the oil is absorbed, add some more oil and keep whisking vigorously. Combine canola oil slowly in very small quantities while whisking constantly. Do not add oil in too much quantity in a single cycle, otherwise the emulsion will break, separating the oil and egg yolks into two different parts. If you will follow the right procedure, the yolk will continue to thicken and turn a bit creamy with every addition of oil drops and whisking it hard. It means emulsion is forming. Do keep whisking vigorously until all the oil has been added. Add little kosher salt and some more lemon juice if required to adjust the flavour according to your taste. Mix well and you are done. Store in an airtight glass bottle and refrigerate. You can use it for a week if stored in a refrigerator.

When making mayonnaise, avoid using copper or aluminium mixing bowl as the acid in the vinegar and lemon juice will react with these metals and give the mayonnaise a metallic flavour.

Mayonnaise is a thick creamy condiment used as a spread, dip or a creamy sauce to many dishes. Its preparation at home puts a few cooking principles to work – using great ingredients that are well balanced, correctly sized quantities and placing the ingredients in a certain order.

A good-quality mayonnaise enriches not only your food but your culinary imagination too. It always adds richness and taste to your food. If you want to add garlic flavour, add a teaspoon of finely chopped garlic in the final stage and mix well. You can use almond oil, olive oil or walnut oil instead of canola oil if you love any of these flavours in your mayonnaise. You can also add herbs of your taste, like oregano to give that flavour to your mayonnaise.

Enjoy eating with this homemade creamy taste enhancer. Happy cooking!