Re: Kitchen Must Haves
Yup! I use it interchangeably with my spice grinder or blender.
Like if I’m out of fresh adrak lasan and I don’t have time to blend up a new batch, I’ll get a couple of cloves of garlic and a piece of ginger and pulverize it myself 
I use it to smash whole peppercorns when a recipe call for fresh cracked black pepper
Some of my favorite middle eastern recipes call for making whole garlic and salt into a paste before adding it to yogurt or tahini sauces (l learned this trick and tip from my Jordanian friend)
I’ve made guacamole in a stone mortar and pestle before!