Why is the stupa called that?
Stupa (suburgan, Sanskrit. स्तूप, IAST: stūpa, “top of the head, heap of earth, stones, earthen hill”, Tib. chorten, Mong.
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Weed-Spice
If you are a lover of spices and herbs, if there are always herbs on your table, if you are interested in the cuisines of the world, and finally, if you love to cook, then the kitchen assistant that will be discussed in this article will be indispensable and in demand in your kitchen.
Mortar and pestle. They came into use in the Stone Age and have not changed much since then. Let's look at what mortars there are, how to choose and what you can do with them.
Buying this kitchen accessory is not at all difficult. All large shopping centers have stores that specialize in selling dishes, knives, various kitchen tools, or, as they say now, gadgets. This is the store you should visit if you decide to buy a mortar for yourself.
What types of mortars are there? Well, for starters, they come in different sizes and in the store this immediately catches your eye. What to choose? Big or small? Large mortars are naturally much more expensive. They are heavier and more difficult to find a place in the kitchen. And is it important. If the mortar is not at hand, then you are unlikely to use it often.
However, such a mortar has many advantages. Again, a lot of weight. It is very stable and difficult to tip over, which means you won’t spill expensive spices on the floor. In a large mortar you can process both large and small quantities of spices; in this regard, it is universal, but you can easily prepare pesto sauce for the whole family in it.
A large mortar has a massive pestle, and it has a large contact area. Thanks to this, in a large mortar you can grind spices not only very quickly, but also with a minimum of effort. Some spices are crushed using the pestle's own weight; you don't even need to press.
A small mortar is more convenient in many cases: It is lightweight, which means it can be taken out and put away with one hand. It is compact and will find its place on the kitchen shelf, without taking up much space, and always being at hand.
Often we need to grind (crush, grind) no more than one teaspoon or tablespoon of spices or a few cloves of garlic. A small mortar will do the job perfectly. They quickly took it out, crushed it, rinsed it and put it back in place.
However, when it comes to preparing sauces, by the way, you can prepare not only pesto in a mortar, then a small mortar is inferior to its larger counterpart. It’s not that you can’t make sauce in it, but you’ll have to do it several times, which takes time. In addition, a small mortar will have to be loaded to the very edge, and the pestle will have to be used carefully so as not to spill the contents.
As you may have guessed, the small pestle has a small contact patch and is quite light. Be prepared for the fact that sometimes you will have to use force to grind hard seeds into powder.
You may have a question about what is considered a small mortar and what is a large one. The question is absolutely legitimate and I will answer it. Mortars with a diameter of 8-12 centimeters are classified as small, mortars with a diameter of 17 centimeters are classified as large.
Of course, you can buy a mortar smaller than 8 centimeters in diameter, but its use will be limited to grinding spices in quantities “one time per dish.” However, in most cases this is just enough, since it is most appropriate to grind the spices immediately before cooking, and not for use, and a lot of spices, as a rule, are not required.
We figured out the size, but mortars differ not only in size, but also in the material from which they are made. The most common mortars are made of stone, wood, metal and porcelain.
As paradoxical as it may sound, wooden mortars are the most durable. Yes, you can drop a wooden mortar and nothing will happen to it. A porcelain mortar will simply break, a stone mortar may crack or a piece will break off from it.
Wooden mortars made of olive wood.
In a wooden mortar, you can safely hit the crushed products with a pestle; there is such a grinding technique; in a metal mortar, chips can form, and in a stone mortar, this method should be used carefully, especially when grinding a small portion of the product.
Wooden mortars are the lightest, which is very important for elegant housewives, but with all their advantages they also have disadvantages. Despite the fact that mortars are made from various types of wood, most often from beech, acacia, ash, and bamboo, this natural material has a porous structure.
This means that traces of the crushed product may remain in the pores, and when preparing sauces, they may become saturated with their liquid component: oil, vinegar, ginger juice, chili, garlic. This process, of course, is not of any total nature, and the mortar can be washed, wiped dry and used further. But over time, the mortar may develop its own smell.
This is exactly the second drawback of wooden mortars. They have the shortest service life. This does not mean that you will have to buy a new mortar every year, just that compared to stone or metal ones, which, if used correctly, are almost eternal, the service life of wooden ones is still limited. But, in my opinion, they are the most environmentally friendly.
When choosing a wooden mortar, give preference to those made from a single piece of wood, that is, beech and ash. Such mortars will last longer.
Stone mortar mortar and pestle.
The most common and most popular stone mortars. The material most often is granite or marble, less often carnelian or onyx. Their disadvantages include heavy weight and some fragility, which, however, does not interfere with quite energetic use of the pestle.
In all other respects, the stone mortar is perfection. You can grind everything from soft herbs to the hardest spices. You can grind, crush, break, grind in it. In a stone mortar you can even grind flour, for example, from millet or buckwheat.
A stone mortar is also great for making liquid and paste sauces. Pour oil, vinegar, Tabasco, lemon juice into it - after cooking, just wash it like a regular plate.
The first mortar I bought was a marble one, 12.5 centimeters. Many years have passed, and it’s like new, although I don’t let it sit idle. Undoubtedly, the best choice for your first acquaintance with a mortar is a small stone one.
Ceramic mortar and pestle.
Ceramic mortars. Such mortars grind best. The finest powder can be obtained from them. They require careful handling, protect them from impacts and should not be dropped. Break hard foods with caution. Caring for them, like stone mortars, is not difficult.
Ceramic mortars can be glazed and even decorated with artistic painting. When choosing a ceramic mortar, please note that the working surface of the pestle and the inner surface of the mortar should not be covered with glaze. Almost all ceramic mortars can be washed in the dishwasher just like regular cups and plates.
Metal mortars are made from cast iron, steel, and non-ferrous metals. Cast iron is a fragile material, stainless steel allows you to perform all types of grinding in a mortar, it is durable, does not absorb foreign odors, and is easy to clean. Mortars made of non-ferrous metals, for example brass or cupronickel, are beautiful, beautiful, but quickly become covered with plaque; caring for such mortars is quite labor-intensive.
To summarize, we can say that a mortar made of any material will be appropriate in your kitchen. If you want to use only freshly ground, most aromatic spices in your recipes, focus on prices, weight, and dimensions.
Those who also plan to prepare sauces should take a closer look at a large granite mortar. Just designate a place for it in the kitchen so that it is always at hand. Of course, it won’t be cheap, but it will last for many, many years. This mortar can replace an electric chopper.
For those who just want to try to join the world of spices, but are not sure whether they will like it or not, we can recommend a small wooden mortar so that there are no problems with storage. Small and light, there will always be a place for it.
Now some tips:
- Do not grind inedible substances or medicines in a mortar. For the former, if necessary, you can purchase a mortar at a chemical store; for the latter, buy a mortar at a pharmacy. This is a very small, 5-6 centimeters, ceramic mortar specifically for medicines.
- For the same reason, do not buy a mortar from hand, at flea markets, flea markets, and so on. When purchasing online, make sure the mortar has not been used before.
- After grinding spices, it is not always necessary to wash the mortar. Often it is enough to simply wipe it with a dry cloth.
- Do not store leftover spices in a mortar. Store unused spices in a tightly sealed container.
- To dry clean your mortar and pestle, you can grind coarse table salt or grains of rice in it. During the grinding process, the salt or rice being cleaned in the mortar will change its color. Replace the product and repeat until the rice or salt remains white after grinding.
- Marble mortars are afraid of any acids; even weak citric and acetic acids interact with marble. The way out of this situation is simple: add acid later, after preparing the sauce, by pouring it into another container. And this advice will not hurt the owner of metal mortars.
- When making sauces, start by chopping the hardest dry ingredients, then add fresh herbs, garlic, and so on.
What can you do in a mortar?
Making pesto sauce in a mortar
Of course, the famous pesto sauce, the name of which has the same root as the word pestle. But the preparation of sauces is not limited to pesto alone. First, try making your own ketchup from pre-sautéed tomato paste, herbs, garlic, black pepper, salt and sugar.
Prepare green butter. Place your favorite herbs in a mortar and grind to a paste. For better chopping, add a small pinch of salt to the greens. Place the softened butter in a bowl and add the contents of the mortar. It is convenient to remove the herbal pulp from the mortar with a teaspoon. Mix thoroughly, form into a sausage using cling film and freeze.
It is good to place pucks cut from such a sausage on hot pieces of meat, especially white poultry meat. They would also be appropriate on white, lean boiled fish, or you can season porridge with this oil.
Prepare almond milk. Grind peeled, dried, but not roasted almonds (150 grams) into powder in a mortar and adding water a little at a time, turn everything into a homogeneous paste. Transfer the pulp into a spacious container and add the remaining water (400 ml in total). Stir thoroughly and strain through cheesecloth.
This plant-based milk can be used for preparing dishes during Lent, for dietary nutrition, in weight loss diets, for those intolerant to the components of cow's milk, for feeding vegans, and simply for experimenting with flavors. Try porridge with this milk, baked goods, pancakes.
Speaking of pancakes. Usually we bake pancakes only from wheat flour. If you replace some of the wheat with oatmeal, buckwheat or millet, pancakes made from such flour will give you new tastes.
Pour oats or millet or whatever you want right now into a mortar in small portions, 1-2 teaspoons each, and thoroughly grind into flour. We sift, return the remains from the sieve to the mortar, add more grains and add more. Be patient. When there is enough flour, mix it with wheat and bake pancakes in the usual way.
Prepare aromatic breading. Grind dry herbs, walnuts, garlic in a mortar and mix with breadcrumbs. Bread the cutlets or lula kebab in the resulting mixture and cook in your usual way.
Dressing for beetroot. Place egg yolks, salt, black pepper in a mortar and grind into a homogeneous mass, adding low-fat sour cream or yogurt. Place a portion of the resulting mass in the center of the plate with beetroot soup. You can add herbs to the dressing.
Seasonal country sauce. The main component here is gooseberries or black currants. Mash the berries in a mortar, add a clove of garlic, a couple of cloves and 1-2 sprigs of cilantro to a large mortar. Even if you don’t like it, everyone will like it in blackcurrant sauce. Serve this sauce on your kebabs along with traditional ketchup and see what happens.
The longer you use the mortar in your culinary creativity, the tastier and brighter your dishes will be. Sauces, pastes, pates, dressings - all this will become components of your dishes. The main thing is not to forget that everything is good in moderation. Strongly spicy food may not appeal to your loved ones.
Review of mortars from different manufacturers
In online stores you can buy a mortar and pestle for every taste and for various tasks. In this short review, we have collected models from different directions so that you can get an idea of the range.
A Walmer porcelain mortar and masher with a diameter of 9 cm is suitable for grinding spices and herbs, preparing sauces and nut butters. The spout makes it easy to drain the sauce. Pestle with rough surface.
The Tescoma President square mortar with a thickened bottom is made of natural granite. Suitable for grinding spices, herbs, nuts, garlic, capers. The inner surface is rough, which speeds up work. The outside is smooth and beautiful. Container size 13 by 13 cm, height – 8.5 cm, working depth – 5.5 cm. Pestle diameter – 2.7 cm. Weight – 2.7 kg.
Emile Henry ceramic mortar for delicate grinding by grinding. The handle of the pestle is made of natural wood, the working part is ceramic. Capacity – 600 ml.
Marble set in a delicate peach shade. The height of the container is 10 cm, the diameter is 9 cm. A small pestle is convenient for grinding and impact grinding. The bottom is thickened due to the stem.
How to make Baba Yaga's house?
In order for the structure to hold firmly on two pillars, you need to select either thick cuts of branches, or take two wooden spools of thread. The second option is preferable, since they have a base that expands at the bottom, which will securely hold the house.
If you still use cut branches, then you need to strengthen them with plasticine on the base of the craft, making claws splayed in different directions. They will give stability to the structure.
The house itself is made from a flat foundation. This can be plywood or a piece of very durable cardboard. The ceiling above is the same. Straight branches of any tree are glued between these two planes. You can fasten them with wire or tie them together with rope.
Also, for strength, the walls of the house are placed on a layer of plasticine, which is attached along the entire perimeter of the house from the inside and on the floor of the house and on the ceiling.
The roof can be made from cardboard by gluing together a pyramid. Place a layer of autumn yellow leaves on top of the glue. Such a composition can be entered into a competition as an autumn craft for Baba Yaga.
Mortar and pestle: varieties and how to choose the right one
A mortar and pestle is an ancient hand-held device for grinding small solid products or their particles.
The main task of the simplest accessory is to crush or grind a small amount of spices, nuts, cereals, grains, and herbs. Despite the advent of electric choppers and coffee grinders, this primitive device remains popular and is found in every second kitchen, if not more often. How to choose a mortar based on material, shape, size, practicality and versatility?
In this publication:
Squishy sponge for washing dishes
Paper toys are a good way to keep yourself busy, but not very suitable if you just want to crush something in your hands. A suitable material in this case would be a regular dish sponge. It can also be used to make a wonderful anti-stress. In this MK it will have the shape of a French cookie - macaroon.
What do you need:
Stages:
And cut off the hard part from it.
Use a felt-tip pen to draw or trace a circle on a sponge.
Slightly round the edges.
In order to make pasta, you will need two of these parts.
From the foam we cut out a circle the same size as we drew on the sponge.
Let's tint its edges with white acrylic paint to make the finished toy prettier.
Glue the circle between the cookie halves.
The result is a toy cookie that is pleasant to crush in your hands.
You can use a dish sponge to make this cute SpongeBob. Making it is even easier: you just need to paint the sponge, as in the photo below.
Anti-stress from water and a bag
Another way to make an anti-stress toy is perhaps the simplest of those proposed. And definitely known to everyone! You need to take a regular plastic bag and fill it with water. After this, tie the knot tightly. You will get this kind of squish that is pleasant to hold and roll in your hands. And most importantly, you don’t need almost anything to create it!
Another common version of a similar toy is bags containing slime (also called “slime”). Due to its consistency, this anti-stress is also quite pleasant to the touch.
Liquid anti-stress products come in different forms. And you can do them all completely yourself.
