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Mortar and PestleMost Thai food chefs will tell you that the mortar and pestle is probably the most important kitchen utensil in Thai cooking. If you are serious about preparing Thai food favorites such as red curry using a homemade paste or papaya salad (som tum) the mortar and pestle is indispensable. Mortar and pestles have been part of the Thai kitchen for almost 800 years, perhaps since the Sukothai era. Granite stone mortar and pestles are used for grinding ingredients that are fiborous and tough, like lemongrass and galangal, especially for curry pastes. Lighter weight earthern clay mortar and pestles are preferred for crushing ingredients such as for som tum salad. Here is our selection of solid granite rock mortar and pestles, handmade by Thai craftsmen from natural grey stone and ranging in size from small, large, extra-large and super size. You can also find a replacement pestle in case yours becomes damaged. If you can not decide which size mortar and pestle is best for you then read this mortar and pestle comparison. You can be sure of our commitment to only the finest quality Asian cookware.
(approx. 6" diameter, approx. 4" bowl, 4" height; 6" pestle; 1 cup capacity; 5lb shipping wt)
While it may appear on the surface that there would be no difference between using a food blender compared to the mortar and pestle, actually you will find that there is a significant difference. A food blender cannot produce the same results as a mortar and pestle in many instances, especially when pulverizing dried spices and fresh herbs like lemongrass. The mortar and pestle helps to extract the juices and oils of fresh and dried spices and pulverizes fibrous roots and herbs. A food blender only breaks the food up but does not actually blend the essential essences of the spices.
The large mortar and pestle is approximately seven inches in diameter and is the most common size used in Thai home kitchens on a day to day basis. This is because it is large enough to hold the ingredients for cooking a family sized portion of the various pastes called for in Thai cuisine, especially curry paste, and is easy to pick up and move around. In fact, this is the set that Temple of Thai uses in it's own home kitchen. But if you do a lot of parties or have a large family consider purchasing the larger eight or nine inch sets below. "Grandiose in size and weight, this mortar and pestle looks like an ancient artifact, but the rough surface was able to grind toasted rice in 50 strokes..." Cook's Illustrated (approx. 7" diameter, approx. 5" bowl, 4 1/2" height; 7" pestle; approx. 2 cup capacity; 11lb shipping wt)
(approximately: 8" diameter, 5 1/2" bowl, 6" height; 7" pestle; approx. 3 cups capacity; 20lb shipping wt.)
We recommend this set for the professional kitchen, caterers or cooking schools. This set also makes the perfect gift for the cooking connoisseur who enjoys the best. They will thank you for a lifetime! (approximately: 9" diameter, 5 3/4" bowl, 6" height; 9" pestle (about 2lbs); approx. 5-6 cups capacity; 22lb shipping wt.) Note: Each unique set is machine cut from solid rock and hand finished. The inside bowl is polished smooth and non-porous. To clean, simply rinse with warm water and drip dry after using, use soap only as needed.
(8" Granite Pestle weight over 1lb.) Approximate UPS Ground Shipping Cost Large Mortar & Pestle: East coast, Midwest and South approx. $15.00; Mountain states, Southwest and West coast approx. $10.00. For other locations and sizes please use our online cart, input your delivery address (only) and it will calculate the shipping cost automatically.
Any of these sets would make an excellent gift for the cook. They are functional and beautiful to display, the recipient will thank you for years to come! Also note that as with all our products, we offer a 30 day money back guarantee.
From our survey of customers (anonymous responses) and unsolicited e-mails: Your granite mortar is a work of art. I smile every time I look at it! I found a mortar and pestle and rice steamer that I liked and it was cheaper than other sites. Friendly people good product selection, recipes, and great mortars and pestles. I liked all of your selection. And I love my garnite mortar and pestle!!! The mortar & pestle I purchased is *amazing*. But I'm sure you hear that all the time! I just received my morter and pestle and I am just delighted! This will look beautiful in my kitchen and I can't wait to start using it. This is the nicest one that I've seen. Just a quick note to say I received the mortar and pestel. It's perfect! Exactly what I wanted. Hi: I received the order last night, in perfect shape. I love the mortar & pestle. Went to work right away on some fresh galangal. Thanks for the great service. You will be hearing from me in the near future. I've decided to start collecting mortars & pestles, as I love the look and functionality of them. Thanks again. Hi, Yes, I did do quite a bit of online searching and really didn't find a lot out there. There was one European guy named Mason Cash that had some but they weren't granite and they were a lot more expensive. I searched Lycos and Google for Granite one's too but still I think your's is the best deal. I wanted a large size too. Do you have any suggestions for cleaning and use/ and or recipes? IF you do or have a link for me, that would be great. Thanks again. P.S. I may be making another purchase of a second morter and pestle in April for my sister-in laws birthday. She also can appreciate works of art like this. Thanks again! Dear People: Just received my new piece yesterday...it is truly a stunning addition to my kitchen...thank you so much...I look forward to many years of cooking with lovely fresh herbs and spices with this piece...I'm very glad I found you....Thanks again. Thank You so much in the professional way in which you shipped my order. It just arrived at my door and in perfect condition. I hope to add the motar and pestel to my keepsaked and get much usage from the product. There are so many items I want to buy from you, but will have to do it by peacemeal. Again, Thank You so much. Just a quick note to say thank you for the quick and efficient service. You may or may not remember I ordered a mortar and pestle a couple of weeks ago. It arrived in record time and I love it. Thanks again. I received my Thai mortar and pestle. It looks great!!!!!! I would like to thank you and Temple of Thai, for the prompt and excellent service. Grazie. I'm incredibly pleased with the quality of the super-sized mortar and pestle set I recently ordered from templeofthai.com. I wanted to send an e-mail to let you guys know how happy I am that this product was available, shipped to my house quickly, and was in good condition upon arrival. I can't wait to start making raw cuisine and supplements with my new mortar and pestle set! - Austin Thank you, amazing service!! I love my new Granite Mortar and Pestle! - Shelly Received my shipment yesterday and I am more than pleased with the quality and workmanship of my mortar and pestile. Your service and promptness is to be commended also. Looking forward to doing business with Temple of Thai in the future. Thanks, Art My mortar & pestle exceeded all expectations. I want to thank you and everyone with the Temple of Thai for complying with my request. The mortar & pestle is perfect in every respect and was packaged with care. You and all of the employees certainly are a valuable asset to the Temple of Thai. Thank you sooo much! - Ellis I just wanted to let you know that the replacement pestle has just arrived....in great shape you'll be glad to know, I can't wait to use it!!! I love my mortar and pestle set and cannot believe I waited so long to purchase one. Thank you! - Lisa I'm very happy to report that my new Mortar arrived today, in perfect shape and beautiful! - John Thank You again for all your extra efforts, and I am going to visit your site very soon, looking for ingredients and other Thai goodies to buy, not only because you have great products, but mostly because of all the care you took with making sure I was a satisfied customer, which I certainly am!
Our granite mortar and pestle will reduce fibrous herbs and hard seeds in no time. The pestle and inside surface of the mortar are polished smooth, so it will not absorb odors from foods. Very dense and heavy, this set does not chip and will last for years, even when subjected to vigorous pounding. If you would like only to grind small quantities of herbs and spices or even pills, a less substantial set will suffice. The smallest size granite mortar and pestle will work perfectly. We also have the traditional clay mortar and pestle which is also used for making curry paste (though less vigorous pounding is recommended) and especially useful for making Thai salads like 'Sohm Tom'.
There are many different types of mortar and pestles available on the market, but we believe that the Thai granite set is one of the most attractive and versatile. The Mexican 'molcajete tejolote', although beautiful, can be coarse and porous. Molcajetes are usually made from basalt (lava) and are employed to create salsas and sauces. The pestle of the popular marble sets is much lighter in weight than the Thai granite one, making pounding more arduous. The Japanese suriabachi is perfectly suited for grinding dry ingredients, but more limited in use. Of course you should choose your cooking tools based on what you actually plan to cook! So if you are in fact making Japanese pastes than perhaps the suribachi is best for you. Also consider our clay mortar and pestle set, which is also very popular in Thailand and preferred by some because it is lighter weight.
Read Kasma Loha-unchit's comparison of Thai mortar and pestles. More about the mortar and pestle:
Today fewer Thais take the time to make the daily curry paste. It is convenient and inexpensive to pick up ready-made by a large kreaung (machine) in the marketplace. Now the granite mortar and pestle is more often used for making Nam Prik, a spicy chili pastes, and to pulverize herbs, fresh green peppercorns (not available in the US) and dried spices. Also, ready-made curry pastes can be spiced up or enlivened with additions of the cook's choosing - useful information for the busy Western cook also. In the not so distant past (around World War II), apparently some Thai chefs did not even have access to the current version of the granite mortar and pestle and used something more akin to a primative mortar and pestle (i.e. Mexican Metate y Metlapil), grinding with a rock held in the palm of the hand. Paste making took hours instead of minutes. Perhaps we should look upon the granite mortar and pestle as a modern convenience?! Each granite mortar and pestle is made by hand near the Gulf of Thailand, in the eastern part of the country. Apparently one can learn the trade within a couple of weeks. But the men who practice this art consider it to be a job of low pay and low status, therefore they are encouraging their children to not take up the craft. Also there is a limited quantity of good quality granite available. These factors could someday lead to the demise of the trade in Thailand. Some are calling for the intervention of the government, to insure its survival. It is an ancient craft handed down from family to family. In addition to making mortar and pestles, these same craftsmen carve Buddhist images in the tradition of Angkor Wat (Khmer ruins in Cambodia), those famous twin stone lions for library entrances, and even kitsch garden ornaments, including gnomes! Today in the United States the granite mortar and pestle has become very popular due to its use on Food TV by Jamie Oliver, also known as the Naked Chef. Being such a charming guy, Thailand's foundering mortar and pestle industry has enjoyed a sudden resurgence. Just when Thais were starting to buy their first electric blenders, and things were looking rocky, there has suddenly been an unexpected surge of exports of these mortar and pestle sets to the West. Of course it is just another cooking trend, and once everyone who ever wanted a stone mortar and pestle has one, there will be no need really to buy another one - the darn things never wear out so that they can be passed from generation to generation. There are mortar and pestles still in use in Thailand that are known to be well over 25 years old. The pestle does wear down after daily use for many, many years, as does the bowl.
Also read our article on the fundamentals of the mortar and pestle.
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Jamie Oliver has made the granite mortar and pestle set required modern cooking equipment. This petite version is perfect for grinding small quantities of dried spices, garlic, fresh herbs and even pills. The non-porous stone makes it easy to clean, just rinse with water and drip dry. It is lightweight, making it more portable then the heavier sets. We especially recommend this set for aspiring kid chefs, college gourmets on the move and older cooks. 
This Temple of Thai Large Granite Stone Mortar and Pestle was recommended in the September 2009 issue of Cook's Illustrated Magazine. 
This Extra-Large Granite mortar and pestle was featured in Italian Cooking & Living (La Cucina Italiana) for making olive tapenade. This beautiful granite mortar and pestle is ready for any international cooking tasks including Thai food, with nearly double the bowl size of our large mortar & pestle! This is a beautiful set and will be well admired on display on your kitchen counter top. 
This king-sized mortar and pestle (9" diameter) is the largest set we offer with over double the bowl size of our large mortar & pestle! No kitchen job will ever be too large. The large bowl size makes it is especially suitable for grinding bulky fresh garden herbs like rosemary, thyme and oregano. The heavy pestle grinds quickly and efficiently, doing the work for you.
This is a replacement for your broken pestle. The stone pestle is rough on the lower portion and glazed on the top for smooth handling. Please note that the color of the stone varies as it is a natural product and it may not be the same color as your mortar. 
The rhythmic chank chank sound of the granite pestle hitting the mortar has traditionally started the day in many a Thai home. Up with the chickens, the woman of the household gathers together prik haeng (dried red chilies), fresh garlic, fresh lemon grass, fresh turmeric, and sea salt and tosses them into the bowl and pounds professionally into a very smooth paste (no seeds of the prik haeng should be visible when completed). With daily practice this can be done in less than 15 minutes. For a foreigner it may take at least twice as long. But the tasty results make the extra effort a worthwhile investment.
