Brass Khal Musal with Turned Bands

Name: Brass Khal Musal with Turned Bands
Brand: PEETAL PARAMPARA
SKU: PP-BR-DIN-KHL-015-L
Price: 4999.0 INR
Availability: InStock

A brass khal musal with fine turned lines round the waist and a ringed pestle.

Rs. 4,999.00

Price includes GST.

Weight: 1,600g

Material: Brass, unlacquered
Finish: Polished
Lining: None. Bare polished brass inside
Interior: Rounded floor running into the wall, no corner to trap a seed
Base: Stepped foot ring, flat and level

In the box

1 brass khal, the mortar
1 brass musal, the pestle

Check delivery to your PIN code

Estimated, not a guarantee. Dispatched from Guwahati, Monday to Saturday.

Each piece is shaped and finished by hand, so small differences in weight, size, finish and surface marking are normal and no two are identical. Colour on screen can differ from the metal in daylight. Handmade in India.

The mortar is turned, not cast. Fine parallel lines are cut round the waist while the lathe still held it, and they stop short of both the rolled rim and the stepped foot ring, which is what tells you the tool went on after the shape was there. Inside, the wall runs down to a rounded floor with no corner for a seed to lodge in. The pestle is ringed at the grip, collared below it, and swells again at the pounding end.

What is it?

A khal musal is the heavy two-part pounder of the Indian kitchen, a deep-walled cup and the rod that drops into it, used to crush whole spices, garlic and ginger by bruising them rather than slicing them.

Also known as a khalbatta, imam dasta, okhli musal, mortar and pestle or peetal spice pounder.

What is in the box?

1 brass khal, the mortar
1 brass musal, the pestle

How do I look after it?

Wash by hand with a mild dishwashing liquid and a soft sponge. Dry fully with a cloth before putting it away — water left standing is what causes spotting.
Brass darkens. It reacts with air and with the oils on your hands, and a piece in daily use will dull within weeks. That is the metal telling you it is not plated.
To bring the shine back: a paste of lemon juice and salt, or tamarind pulp, or a proprietary brass cleaner. Rub, rinse, dry. Two minutes.
Do not use steel wool, scouring pads or bleach.
Not dishwasher safe. Not microwave safe.
If you would rather it stayed dark, leave it alone — a settled patina protects the surface.

Handmade in India

Every piece finished by hand

Solid metal

No plating, nothing to chip

Weighed and listed

In grams, on almost every page

Tin lining stated

Where a vessel is lined, we say so

Questions about this piece

Is this brass solid or plated?

Solid. At 1,600 g for a cup and a rod of this size there is nothing hollow in either half, and a pounder with a plated skin would show base metal at the working end within a week.

Will it look exactly like the photograph?

Close, but not identical. The turned lines are cut on a lathe by hand, so their spacing round the waist shifts a little from one mortar to the next, and the polish deepens unevenly.

Is it tin lined?

No. The inside is bare polished brass, which is what you want in a pounder because a tin skin would be scraped off by the pestle inside a month of daily use.

Can I keep curd, lemon or pickle in it?

Crush in it, do not store in it. Garlic, ginger and lemon peel are all fine while you are working, but anything sour left standing will mark the inside wall and pick up a metallic edge.

Can I put it in the dishwasher?

Hand wash only. Dishwasher salts strip the shine off brass and leave it grey and blotchy. Rinse it out under the tap, wipe the inside dry, and stand the pestle beside it rather than in it.