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Indonesian Mortar and Pestle
(Cobek and Ulek-ulek)
This dish-shaped stone mortar and
right-angle pestle is the backbone of the Indonesian kitchen. One
of the key elements of Indonesian cooking is the sambal or spice paste.
The pastes are used as a flavoring for a variety of dishes and they are
also used as a flavorful condiment. The Indonesian mortar is the
efficient tool used to render the perfect sambal.
making sambal in indonesian mortar, photo by:
.corianderleaf.com
The Stone
The Indonesian mortar is made from a hard basalt stone. Although
the cobek has a smooth appearance the stone is rough enough to crush and break through
the typical sambal ingredients like chiles, garlic, peanuts, coconut and
even lemon grass.
The traditional mortar and pestle can also be found made of palm wood.
While the wood version is very attractive it is not quite the efficient
grinding tool. Some cooks like using the palm wood pestle with the
stone mortar.
palm wood mortar and pestle image from:
terebess.hu
Preparing The Mortar For Use
A new cobek and ulek ulek should be prepared
before it is used for the first time. Always wash both pieces well in
warm soapy (unscented) water.
One source suggests wiping a new mortar out with a stale slice of bread
or using grated coconut. While this process will remove any loose
stones in the mortar we suggest a method that takes a bit longer but
prepares the mortar more thoroughly.
Another technique is to season the mortar with a paste made from kosher
salt and raw garlic. Place 3 - 4 large, peeled garlic cloves in
the center of the bowl with about 2 tablespoons of kosher salt.
Use the pestle to mash the ingredients into the surface of the bowl.
Allow the mixture to sit in the mortar for a couple of hours or over
night. Then scrape out the mixture and rinse the mortar and pestle
with warm water and allow to air dry.
How The Mortar Is Used
Ingredient Preparation
Both fresh and dry chiles are used in making sambals. Whole fresh and
dried chiles need to be stemmed, cleaned and seeds removed before use.
Smaller chiles such as pequin don't require cleaning. Dried chiles
are typically re-hydrated before use and fresh chiles may or may not be
precooked.
Garlic, shallots and other soft ingredient should simply be peeled.
Some larger ingredients such as tomatoes should be cut into medium sized
pieces
Grinding
Some recipes may suggest grinding ingredients in a
specific order to facilitate even grinding. Make sure to refer to
your recipe. Salt may be added in intervals to help break down
coarse foods.
Ingredients are crushed together using a firm but gentle up and down
motion. This crushing extracts the most flavor from the
ingredients and gives the sambal the traditional texture. It takes
about 3 to 4 minutes of "vigorous work" to create a paste of the proper
consistency.
General Care
Make sure to rinse the mortar well after each use and allow to dry
before storing. |
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Why Foods Taste Better Prepared In a
Mortar And Pestle
Grinding ingredients
in a mortar and pestle actually extracts more flavor than does fine chopping
in a blender or food processor. This phenomena is explained by UC Berkeley chemist
David King.
"There's a phrase in physics called 'shear force,' " he says. "When you
shear the matrix that encloses the flavor molecules, you release the
flavor." The mortar shears ingredients; the blender cuts them into
infinite pieces. "Under the microscope, there's a real difference
between something that's been sheared and something that's been cut
infinitely."
Basic
Sambal Oelek
From Fieryfoods.com
This basic, hot sambal, which
has been called the "mother" of all sambals, is also spelled olek or
ulek. Since "olek" means hot peppers, I’ll go with that
spelling. This sambal goes well with meats and poultry as well as being a
perfect condiment to just add heat to your meal. It can also be used as a
base for creating other sambals or as a substitute for fresh chile peppers
in recipes.
Yield: 1/3 to ½ cup
Heat Scale: Extremely hot
I N G R E D I E N T S
1 cup dried red chiles, such as piquins or cayennes, stems removed
6 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons lime juice, fresh preferred
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, peanut preferred
I N
S T R U C T I O N S
Place the chiles in a bowl, cover them with hot water and let them sit for
15 minutes until softened. Remove the chiles, drain and discard the water.
Mound all the ingredients in the
center of the mortar and mash using an up and down motion until well
blended. Thin the sambal with more
lime juice if desired.
Remove the sambal from the mortar with a spatula or wooden spoon. Sambals are sometimes served in their mortar.
Recipes
More Recipes
Credits
David King Quote -
Anothersubcontinent.com
Book of Tempeh
Southeast Asian Specialties - Konemann
Glossary
Pestle - Mutu
Mortar - chowet
Where To Buy
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