My husband and I absolutely love to cook together. Our best creations have been made by experimenting with our meals and switching up spices. I got excited when he told me that he wanted to get a molcajete. You can better control the flavors in your dish if you mix your spices yourself. Plus, guacamole!
So naturally we made a trip to our local hispanic market and found exactly what we were looking for. Mortar and pestle in hand, we got right to work. I researched the best way to cure/season a molcajete. The one that we really liked and landed on was with garlic and rice. The main reason that I liked that way in particular was that the garlic has antibacterial properties and the rice essentially plugs the holes in the mortar.
There are a few different versions of molcajetes like wood and granite. We got one that is made of volcanic stone. It is essential to cure our type because volcanic stone is very porous and the small holes can get food trapped. Nobody wants bacteria in their guacamole!
TIP: Ad in a small amount of water in with the rice. This will create a paste.
I was not prepared for how much muscle I needed to really grind down the rice. Reinforcements were called in for help. I must say, Corey did a great job at grinding down the rice. It did get a little easier once we added in the water, and I changed the way I was grinding with the pestle.
We really tried to get the rice paste all over the areas that food may touch, including the pestle. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't giving bacteria a chance!
Now you're ready! Make a creative spice mixture, get some avocados and make some tasty guacamole, and finally share your recipes. I would love to see what you all do with your newly seasoned (or old) molcajete!
