This is a granite pestle, part of a set of traditional cooking utensil. It is also known as ‘batu lesong’ in Malay. Fresh spices and herbs are placed in the mortar and pounded using a pestle. The pestle is moved back and forth in a circular motion around the mortar until the ingredients become a smooth paste. Till today, some cooks still use the traditional mortar and pestle as the pounding of ingredients yields maximum flavour.
