Sunday October 18, 2009
A good grounding
COMPILED BY LEE KHANG YI
PHOTOGRAPHY YAP CHEE HONG
The humble mortar and pestle is still handy to have in the modern kitchen.
A BEAUTIFULLY fashioned mortar and pestle often becomes the most loved object in the kitchen. Far from being redundant today, the mortar and pestle allows you to grind up spices and blend flavours for pesto, sambal and pastes the way no electric blender can. It’s worth investing in a good one that will last a lifetime, according to Flavours magazine in its latest issue (Sept/Oct), which features a good selection available in the Klang Valley.
This Indonesian heavy-duty granite mortar produces sambal with a finer texture compared to the clay version. Move the grinding stone back and forth on the rough surface to crush and grind ingredients. Available for RM98 from Syarikat Perniagaan Wing Onn.
The solid Baccarat granite mortar and pestle makes an elegant addition to the kitchen. A wide base keeps it steady while grinding and grooves within the mortar give a slight friction to produce a coarse paste. RM170.50 from Pavilion KL.
This heavy marble Davis & Waddell mortar and pestle (RM180 from Pavilion KL) is good for grinding hard ingredients like nuts. It has a roughened interior, which allows spices and herbs to be pounded or ground finely.
The Ecology porcelain mortar and pestle has a non-porous interior, making it easy to clean. Available in three sizes: small (RM39.90), medium (RM49.90) and large (RM59.90), from Living Quarters, Metrojaya and MJ by Metrojaya outlets.
The clay cobek is commonly found in Indonesian kitchens. It has a right-angled pestle with a flat, broad base to facilitate back and forth, rubbing and grinding motions to pul verise chillies and spices efficiently. RM22 from Syarikat Perniagaan Wing Onn.
The tall and tapered marble T&G Woodware mortar and pestle has circular grooves on the inside. It comes with a pointed pestle, which may be used to produce very finetextured pastes or spice mixes. Available in two sizes and colours from Eurochef. It’s RM86 for the mini white, RM95 for the mini black, RM235 for the large white and RM267 for the large black.
Pound up some Thai papaya salad (som tam) with this baked clay mortar and long wooden pestle. The wooden pestle is designed for gentle crushing of vegetables. RM18 from Thai Market Font.
The Japanese suribachi (RM56.90) has a ridged interior surface (kushi no me) to facilitate grinding and even grating of soft vegetables like fresh horseradish root. The accompanying wooden surikogi (RM26) prevents the ridges from wearing down. From Woods Macrobiotics.
TYPHOON CAST IRON SINGLE PESTLE & MORTAR
Store locations:
Eurochef is at P-1-21, Block P, Plaza Damas, 60, Jln Sri Hartamas 1, KL; Tel:03- 6201 8863.
Living Quarters can be found at the 1 Utama Shopping Centre and The Curve in PJ, Sunway Pyramid and Gurney Plaza, Penang.
Metrojaya is at the Mid Valley Megamall, Bukit Bintang Plaza and Berjaya Times Square in KL; Plaza Pelangi and Danga City Mall in Johor Baru, and Island Plaza in Penang. MJ by Metrojaya is at Avenue K, KL. Pavilion is at Rivercity, 468-1(2), 3 1/2 Mile, Jln Ipoh (Tel:03- 4044 9185) and S-215, 2nd Flr, The Gardens Mid Valley City (Tel:03-2287 4482), KL.
Syarikat Perniagaan Wing Onn is at 30, Jln Haji Hussin, KL, Tel:03-2698 3252. Thai Market Font is at 43A, Jln Pandan Indah 4/6B, Pandan Indah, KL; Tel:03- 4296 7525.
Woods Macrobiotics is at 25, Jln Telawi 2, Bangsar, KL; Tel:03-2287 0 959.
