Kansa Khal Musal with Pedestal Foot

Name: Kansa Khal Musal with Pedestal Foot
Brand: PEETAL PARAMPARA
SKU: PP-KA-KAN-KHL-198
Price: 6499.0 INR
Availability: InStock

A footed kansa khal and musal, with two turned grooves cut below the rim.

Rs. 6,499.00

Rs. 6,499.00 Rs. 8,799.00

Price includes GST.

Weight: 700g

Material: Kansa (bronze), unlacquered, cup and pestle both
Finish: Brushed satin, turned on a lathe
Interior: Plain turned wall, no grinding ridges
Base: Splayed pedestal foot with a stepped edge

In the box

1 kansa khal
1 kansa musal

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.

Two fine grooves circle the cup a third of the way down, the only cut on an otherwise plain turned wall. Below them the wall curves in to a short stem that splays into a round pedestal foot with a stepped edge, so the cup stands clear of the counter and does not skid when it is worked. The pestle is slim through the shaft and finishes at the top in a turned collar and a small knob, which is where the hand sits. Both parts are kansa, so a strike sounds as a ring rather than a knock.

What is it?

A khal musal is the mortar and pestle of the Indian kitchen, a heavy cup and a rod used to crush whole spices, garlic and ginger by hand rather than to grind them down to a paste.

Also known as a khalbatta, imam dasta, bronze mortar and pestle, kansya khal or spice pounder.

What is in the box?

1 kansa khal
1 kansa musal

How do I look after it?

Kansa is an alloy of copper and tin, known in English as bell metal or bronze. It is dense, hard, and heavier in the hand than steel of the same size.
Wash by hand with a mild dishwashing liquid and a soft sponge straight after eating. Dry fully.
Kansa darkens with use and reacts to sour food faster than brass does. Serve lemon, curd, tamarind and pickle fresh rather than leaving them standing in the vessel.
To restore the shine: tamarind pulp, or lemon and salt. Rinse thoroughly and dry.
Do not use steel wool, harsh detergent or bleach.
Not dishwasher safe. Not microwave safe.
Kansa is hard but it is not forgiving — a fall onto stone can dent or crack the rim. Store it where it will not knock against other metal.

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 kansa solid or plated?

Solid. A cup and rod this size weighing 700 g can only be metal through the section, since the whole job of a khal musal is mass. Put it on a kitchen scale and check.

Will it look exactly like the photograph?

No. Each cup is turned and each pestle finished by hand, so the placement of the grooves, the flare of the foot and the shape of the collar move slightly from one to the next.

Is kansa the same as brass?

No. Kansa is bronze, copper alloyed with tin, and brass is copper alloyed with zinc. Kansa is the harder alloy, which is why it takes pounding without picking up dents so easily.

Will it discolour with sour food?

Yes. Garlic, ginger, lemon and tamarind mark the inside where they sit. Wash and dry the cup straight after pounding, and the patch fades back with the next few uses.

Will it crush wet masala?

It will, though it is happiest with dry whole spices, garlic and ginger. The wall is smooth rather than ridged, so a wet paste slides more than it catches and takes longer to break down.

Is the inside smooth or ridged?

Smooth. The interior is plain turned metal with no cut grinding pattern, so it crushes and bruises rather than grinding, and it wipes clean in seconds under a running tap.

How do I get the smell out?

Pound a spoon of rice or dry salt in it and tip that away, then wash with warm water and dry. Strong garlic can want the treatment twice before the cup is neutral again.