My earliest memory of a mortar and a pestle is a brass set that my grandmother used for pounding her betel nut and paan leaf. As a child, I was fascinated with it and insisted on assisting her. A mortar and a pestle never piqued my interest until I was gifted one recently for my personal use.
All of a sudden, celebrity chefs are everywhere on TV using mortars and pestles. Jamie Oliver insists that the mortar and the pestle can extract mega flavours from ingredients. I also watched a show where Australian Masterchef contestant Marion Grasby used a mortar and a pestle to grind ingredients for a Thai salad. I also discovered that a mortar and a pestle was used extensively in the kitchens across Southeast Asia. The most flavourful Thai pastes are made by pounding the ingredients. Also the raw papaya salad is pounded a few times to combine all the ingredients together prior to serving.
Even the Mexicans have their own version of a mortar and a pestle combination called a Molcajete. They are typically made from volcanic stones and the pestle is much smaller than the mortar itself. The spice paste for the famous Mole sauce is ground in a molcajete. The ingredients for a Guacamole are also traditionally combined together in a molcajete. This is probably one gadget that has remained unchanged since the Stone Age.
In our every day cooking, the mortar and the pestle come in handy to pound the components for a rasam. Pound together grated coconut, chopped raw mango, red chillies, shallots, ginger and salt for a Kerala-style Chammanthi to serve with idlis and dosas. Chop a handful of garlic cloves that have been lightly pounded in a mortar and add to hung curds along with Kashmiri chilli powder and salt for a creamy and fragrant garlic raita to accompany biryanis.
If you are buying one, pay close attention to the inside curvature and surface of the mortar. The inside should not have any corners or sharp grooves. A slightly rough surface will help with efficient grinding. Also remember to season a new mortar and pestle set before using it. Grinding raw rice a couple of times gets rid of the residual sand and dust that gets lodged in the mortar during the manufacturing.
Many of our traditional kitchen gadgets have been replaced by contemporary electrical appliances. These adaptations have led to a lack of depth and flavour in our food. A mortar and a pestle, although primitive, deserves a spot in any kitchen for its ability to extract flavour from simple cooking ingredients.
