Mortar and Pestle

This is an essential piece of equipment for South-East Asian cooking in general, and for making spice pastes in particular. The weight of the pestle is used to help grind or pound simple ingredients like garlic, salt and pepper against the slightly rough surface of the mortar. Those made of stone seem to be the best for grinding pastes and are readily available in Asian stores. It is the one piece of equipment I would hate to live without.