Mortar and Pestle

Very useful tools in the traditional kitchens of the Subcontinent (and in many other places, from Mexico to Thailand), used to grind spices to a powder and fresh ingredients, such as ginger or garlic or herbs, to a paste. Though mortars are often bowl shape, for grinding, we find that the most effective mortar is a flat roughened stone tablet (known as a shil in Bengali), common in India and Bangladesh, with a heavy rough cylindrical stone pestle (nora in Bengali). The pestle can be used to crush a garlic clove or it can be rolled and rubbed against the surface of the mortar to grind either dry or moist ingredients. You can substitute a spice/coffee grinder for grinding dry spices. For grinding garlic or ginger to a paste, the best substitute is a mini-chopper or small food mill. Food processors work well only with larger quantities of garlic and ginger than are usually needed for one or two recipes; but you can process larger amounts of these, then store the extra in well-sealed containers in the refrigerator or freezer until needed. This is a practical solution if you cook subcontinental food regularly.