Mortar and Pestle

About this piece

Mortar and Pestle — imam dasta for garlic and spices. Made by hand from sheesham (rosewood) and plainly polished, in the Sillanwali Handicrafts workshop in Sillanwali, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. It measures 5 in tall. It costs PKR 2,400. It is ready to ship and delivered within 3 to 4 days anywhere in Pakistan, paid in cash on delivery.

A turned wooden mortar with a heavy pestle — the imam dasta — for garlic, ginger and whole spices. Five inches tall. The bowl is turned deep rather than shallow, which is the whole difference between a mortar that works and one that scatters: garlic skins and cardamom pods stay in the well instead of jumping onto the counter with every strike. The pestle is turned from the same sheesham and left heavy, so the weight does the crushing and your wrist does not have to. Wood also grips wet garlic in a way a polished stone bowl does not. Crushed in wood rather than blitzed in a blender, garlic and ginger keep their texture and do not heat up and turn bitter, which is why the imam dasta stays on the counter in kitchens that own both. Made in Sillanwali, Sargodha, and turned individually, so grain and colour vary between pieces. Wipe it dry after use rather than leaving it to soak, and rub in a little food-safe oil now and then. Strong spices will scent the wood over time — most cooks keep one for garlic and ginger and a second for dry spices for exactly that reason. Never put it in a dishwasher.

Every piece is made by hand, so the wood grain, carving and colour vary a little from the photo. That variation is normal and is what makes each one its own.