โม่ (mo) — Cast in Cement in an Earth Mould: a Base with a Channel Round It, a Top Stone with a Feed Hole and Handle

"The top of the cover is made into a hollow to receive the rice to be ground; in this hollow a hole is bored through to the underside so the rice falls down to be ground into flour. In the side of the top stone one square hole is cut to take a piece of wood as the 'mue krok' (handle)." (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author พิชชา ทองขลิบ (Phitcha Thongkhlip), CC BY 4.0)

Dig a mould in the ground as deep as the base is thick, line it with paper and fill it level with cement. Press a ring of rolled steel strip, the size of the channel's outer edge, down to the depth of the channel. Set a second ring the size of the grinding face and pour cement inside it to the height wanted. Scrape out the cement between the two rings to form the channel. Press a whittled stick the size of the pin into the centre, and split bamboo the size of the teeth into the face.

Set a ring of steel strip on rammed, level ground. Stand a stick the size of the pin in the centre, a stick the size of the feed hole 4-6 cm from it, and the sticks for the teeth. Pour in the cement, shape the top into a hollow when it is half set, and leave it until fully dry.

Lift the base and top stone out of their moulds and pull out the pin, feed-hole and teeth sticks. Let them harden fully, then finish the teeth and holes. Fit the pin, put the handle into the square side hole, grind the two faces together until smooth, and remove any loose cement before use.

Real photos of a โม่ (mo) from พิพิธภัณฑ์พื้นบ้านจ่าทวี (Ja Thawee Folk Museum) (Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, author พิชชา ทองขลิบ (Phitcha Thongkhlip), CC BY 4.0)

Set the mo at least a forearm's length (1 sok) above the floor so a vessel can stand at its spout. Soak the rice until it swells. Turn the mo and drop in rice with water. Too much rice and too little water make the flour thick; too little rice and too much water make it runny and can wear the teeth into the flour. Wash the mo clean after grinding and take out the pin.

The mo, or krok bot, was once in almost every house. A top stone with 1 handle hole is called a krok mue diao (one-handed mill); a large one with 2 holes is called a krok 2 mue (two-handed mill). Ready-made flour is now sold, so the mo has slowly vanished from Thai kitchens. Source: Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre, Traditional Objects of Everyday Use database, "โม่" (CC BY 4.0 licence). **Limits** The source does not state clearly the cement mix, or the heights of the rim and the grinding face.