The mortar and pestle can be considered as a very ancient kitchen tool that lets you create unique healthy foods. Apart from that, it allows you to bring out essential oils and make essences out of the herbs and spices in a very natural way. In a nutshell, it is an old-school method that allows you to prepare food in a traditional way.
One important thing you should know when using a mortar and a pestle is that you should clean and season them after bringing them home. This is essential to get rid of the potential dust particles that are left on its surface during the manufacturing process.
How to prepare it for the first use
First, wash your mortar and pestle using clean water. Don’t use any detergent. Just let it air dry. You should never use any type of detergent to clean your mortar and pestle. Also, before using the mortar and pestle, it must be completely dry. Otherwise, the dry ingredients you put it will be spoiled.
First, you should get a small handful of white rice and grind it roughly. Then, discard the ground rice and put another handful. You should repeat this process until you get the grounded rice in perfect white color. However, if you have a white mortar and a pestle, grinding rice three times would be enough. Apart from cleaning the mortar and pestle, this will teach you how to grind the ingredients properly. Also, it is important to use an antiskid shelf liner underneath the mortar if you use it on the counter.
After that, you should add about 04 cloves of garlic. Then, make sure that you mash and muddle it well.
Now, you should add 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper to the garlic. Then, grind it well. Once it is fully mixed, you can discard it.
Now, its time to wash it properly with clean water. Don’t use soap though. Then, let it air dry.
How to add ingredients to the mortar and pestle
Did you know that there is a specific order to follow when adding ingredients to your mortar and pestle? Well, the order is as follows.
Put the driest ingredients first. For instance, ingredients like dried herbs, flour, spices, etc. should be put first.
Then, add moist ones such as garlic, onion, fresh herbs, brown sugar, etc.
Add oily ones next. For instance, think of onions, oil, cheese, nuts, and butter.
Then, add wet ones such as stock, honey, lemon, soy, and so on.
Things you can make with mortar and pestle
Well, you can make pretty much everything with a mortar and pestle. For instance, you can use it to make sauces, spice mixes, marinades, pastes, you can use a mortar and pestle.
Also, it becomes very handy when preparing herbal preparations like lotions, potions, teas poultices, etc.
So, as we believe, a mortar and a pestle is something you must have in your kitchen.
