Mortar and Pestle

Mortar and Pestle are two of my favorite things to have in the kitchen. The gadget does seem ancient at a first glance but its really handy for a lot of small stuff without the hassle of cleaning a multi part appliance after cooking. I have medium sized beige colored Mortar Pestle. Its porcelain and can be washed by hand or in a dishwasher.

My grandmother had a cute white Mortar Pestle. She used to keep it tucked inside the kitchen cabinet to prevent it from falling and breaking. As a kid I always used to wonder why we need so many different types of gadgets to prepare our meals. As I have understood now the more gadgets we collect in the kitchen the simpler our life becomes. Every gadget serves a unique purpose in the kitchen. We can obviously manage without these gadgets, but the time and result will not be the same. I have used the rolling pin and board to crush cardamom and ginger resulting in not only damaging my rolling pin and board but also devoting too much time and energy for a simple task.

To me the Mortar and Pestle is a beautiful simple gadget. It consists of a bowl (Mortar) and a heavy club-shaped object (Pestle). Both are made of smooth and non-porous materials that will not absorb or trap the substances being ground. Since the grinding is done manually it gives me an edge to decide then and there the type of consistency (coarse, medium or fine) I want for a recipe. I can also grind the smallest quantity required (1/8th teaspoon).

Mortal and Pestle also serves as a suitable gadget for processing garlic (smash the top of the garlic clove to peel it easily) or to crush ginger (for aada deva cha - tea with ginger ideal for cold winter evenings) or to crush mint (with a cube of ice for the un-sweet tea recipe). In short anything used for baking or eating that can be crushed is likely to work in the Mortar and Pestle.

I love the flavorful scent of freshly ground spices. It fills me with a feeling of confidence on the outcome of what I am preparing. A couple of days back we decided to have Gajar ka halwa (Carrot pudding). While the halwa was cooking I started to crush some cardamoms in the Mortar Pestle. The fragrance of the freshly grounded cardamoms when added to the halwa took it to another taste level. I also use it to break the nuts roughly. A single blow of pestle is enough to break even the toughest nuts like almonds. I simply put the nuts in a plastic bag and crush them, that way they don’t go flying around the kitchen.

I suggest you to try this gadget. This ancient gadget shows our connection to the roots of cooking and serves many small purposes.

 

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• Chana Masala/ Chole Masala
• Gajar ka Halwa (Indian Carrot Dessert)