Pestle and mortar is steadily making a significant comeback in kitchens across India, as well as globally. Especially considering Indian cuisines, pestle and mortar, also known as Ammikal in Tamil Nadu and Kerala have become an indispensable kitchen necessity. It delivers real flavor to spices and meals that are cooked whilst using it.
Indian cuisine predominantly involves whole spices. Flavor produced by whole spices when powdered is distinct. Even though preference is subjective, whole spices include a certain kind of warmth and wholesomeness to your food.
For grinding whole spices, pestle and mortar delivers the best result. Pestle and mortar inducesethnicflavors, flavors which have been around for centuries.
When health is considered, spices ground using mortar and pestle is the right way to go . Whole spices hold on to volatile oils, which often evaporate when powdered spices are stored. This in turn makes meals more nutritious and tastier.
Using a pestle and mortar may not be the prime choice for the mass-production of powdered spices. On the contrary, coarsely ground spices when cooking a meal for 4-10 people, a mortar and pestle will deliver aptly.
The best mortar and pestle for your requirements
Pestle and mortar delivers the best outcome when it is made using handcrafted stoneware. It delivers the best when the grinding work is limited.
Grinding stone / Pestle and mortarwill deliver thebest results for rigid spices such as anise and fenugreek seeds. The two most frequently prevalent designs for mortar and pestle involve the following –
- A grinding stone
It has similarities in appearance with a rolling pin. It’s rolled over the mortar for crushing spices. The contact friction is lower in this case, and safeguards against partially crushed seeds from flying around.
- The other format of mortar and pestle is the one in which grinding stone is heavier and harder.
It is gently used to pressurize the spices placed over the mortar.
The selection among the two patterns is dependent on a cook’s choice of comfort while using either of the two variants. It also depends on the purpose for which one intends to use a mortar and pestle for. For reference, if one intends to create Ayurvedic medications, the variant of the mortar and pestle that will be preferred is the smaller pestle for crushing spices by pressurizing them.
An important technique for using mortar and pestle
When one intends to grind woody spices and hard seeds, the right way to go about it is to first pound the spices.
One will also have a choice to bring the pestle gently downwards from the mortar’s side. This will get all the whole pieces towards the center of the mortar. And then you can proceed to pound the spices.
Once the whole pieces have been pounded to become a coarse powder, you can move the pastel in a clockwise/anti-clockwise direction to make the powder finer. The coarseness of the grains is in completely up yo you.
A few of the best spices to grind using mortar and pestle include seeds of fenugreek, cardamom, cumin, black pepper, and anise.
Why we recommend the pestle and mortar Ecohindu has to offer
- The raw material
Ecohindu pestle and mortar hand grinder is crafted from stone, this design is inspired by one of the most ancient designs to have ever existed. Hence making this pestle and mortar the most significant. This design is said to be most affective when it comes to grinding and/ or extracting taste and flavor. - The people who craft the pestle and mortar
Ecohindu’s pestle and mortar is crafted by traditional craftsmen who’s families have been doing this for generations. This gives the product the edge of the following – skill, experience, heritage, and tradition. These handcrafted pestle are mortars are so well crafted by these craftsmen that they look machine made. - The Finished result
Since the pestle and mortar are both crafted skillfully and with the right kind of raw material, the result you do get from grinding spices on it is impeccable. The coarse stone allows the spices to either be ground roughly or also be ground to a complete thin powder. The finish result is nothing that can be compare to a machine grinder. Manual pestle and mortar hand grinders are also said to heat up the spices, which encourage more flavor. Scientifically when explained, the friction caused between two coarse surfaces crates heat over prolong periods. This heat then helps release oils from the spices. On the contrary machine grinders cut through instead of physically grinding and hence the secretion of oils in the process does not proceed in the correct manner. This also explains why hand crafted pestle and mortar’s tend to provide much richer flavored spices.
Benefits of a Stone mortar and pestle –
People often question as to why they should invest in a pestle and mortar which is exceedingly time confusing. In case, you aren’t sold on the attribute that it provides flavorful food, we have also put together a detailed list of benefits a handcrafted stone mortar and pestle will provide to you :
Stone pestle and mortar grinders are quieter –
Machine grinders can often cause a nuisance with the amount of noise they make. This hand crafted pestle and mortar is quite the opposite. Since you can grind at your own pace this hand grinder mortar and pestle makes comparatively way lesser noise.
Stone pestle and mortar grinders are traditional and nostalgic –
There is something about being able to prepare food with a kitchen utensil such as the pestle and mortar that engulfs you in with this extreme nostalgia. It is always great to include something traditional in your kitchen. It keeps you grounded to your roots and reminds you to respect food and the people who so lovingly make it for you.
You are supporting someone’s livelihood –
With Ecohindu’s pestle and mortar, each purchase is a direct contribution to a craftsmen livelihood. Since Ecohindu works with craftsmen, their main is to provide them with sustainable living. When you purchase products such as the pestle and mortar you are allowing craftsmen to continue tradition as well as heritage.
If you are looking for a traditional kitchen utensils, this mortar and pestle online is the perfect addition to your kitchen. Buy mortar and pestle for Ecohindu to provide yourself with the best quality there is. Get you very own mortar pestle today, we promise you won’t regret it!
