Flash in the Pan

In the latest incoming round of test products, inevitable kicking up around this time of the year, came a mortar & pestle from the American Masala collection from Suvir Saran, chef/owner of Indian restaurant Devi in Manhattan, and manufactured by Wade Ceramics in England. The name is an allusion to complex spice mixtures and is certainly another way of looking at this country's melting pot. The result is a marvelous hand tool, too often neglected in modern kitchens, that looks good and works better.

There's a pleasure in seeing spices come together with some texture and not turned into powder by an electric grinder. It's like the difference between pureeing food and using a food mill. Grinding becomes an easier task when the mortar is a broad bowl offering a wide expanse of rough ceramic area on which to grind. The pestle bottom is similarly broad, which made quick work of a combination of anise, cardamom, and cloves that then went into a pot of hot water on the wood stove. (Great way to add scent to the air.) I was sent the larger 5-cup version in a pale green named for cardamom. The pestle handle is wrapped in a decorative pattern. It has a great feel in the hands and works the spices quickly, all without any electrical power, making it green in a different sense, as well.

The surfaces washed up pretty easily, though, like any mortar and pestle, some of the spice smell will linger. But then, the same thing will happen in an electric grinder, which will be much harder to clean given the usually small grinding space.

At $50, this isn't a cheap tool, and for some reason both the 2-cup and 5-cup versions are the same prices, which seems strange to me. As it's only available at the J.K. Adams online store, there's no chance to find a better price online at the present time, and it does make it hard for me to suggest it without reservation. If budget is a problem and the physical look isn't so important, check the Internet, or an Asian food store, if there's one nearby. We've had our stone mortar and pestle for years, and for most people the larger capacity won't be necessary.