Mortar and pestle

I bought this small mortar and pestle at a Korean grocery store. It’s made of plastic and lightweight. I used these to pound rice cakes in my injeolmi video.

This mortar is made of stone and the pestle is made of wood. I use them for tougher jobs. It’s still small so I can keep it in my kitchen cabinet and take it out when I need it.

Here’s a photo of a Korean traditional mortar made of stone and a pestle made of wood (from the Topic Photo Agency). This is quite a bit sturdier than the ones I have! Both of my grandmothers had them in their backyard and always used them to pound grains and sesame seeds and to make rice cake.