Kitchen Tips

All most we use Cardamom Powder for all the sweets. Every time we use to peel the skin and powder them. But we can use the skin also. Just put whole Cardamom in a small mixer jar with a spoon of sugar and grind it well.
Remove and put the Cardamom Powder in a bottle. You can use as per your requirement, for sweets, to prepare tea etc.,

Bye,
Krishna amma

To make this yellow pumpkin halwa, remove the skin, make big pieces and keep it in the cooker even along your rice, but in a seperate containe, with out water.

Remove it from the cooker, mash it with a spoon.(No need to add water) Pour ghee in a pan fry kismis, cashew nuts.

Fry well and put the mashed pumpkin and fry well.Add sugar and mix well. When it becomes thick that i.e. like Halwa remove from the fire and serve.

You can use this Halwa as a spread for bread, chappati etc., Children will like this very much and this is very easy to prepare.

Bye,
Krishna amma

1. To cut Cabbage fast, grate it with, which we use to make Alu chips. (WHO ARE NOT HAVING FOOD PROCESSOR)

2. To make Carrot kuttu, cook full Carrots in the cooker, and then cut. It will be easier to cut and quickly we can cut them.

3. For Beet root, don't peel the skin by using the peeler. Just cook as it is in the cooker and then remove the skin like Alu. This will save time and we can use the full Beetroot. Now cut easily the cooked Beetroot or grate it as per your requirement.

4. To cut Green Chilies use scissors. Because after cutting green chilies many people feel like burning. To avoid it cut by scissors.

5. Cut Tomato into two horizontally to remove seeds easily. see the photo.

1. You can use Old news papers instead of Tissue paper or Paper hand towels. (In India Tissue paper is costly and we are not using Tissues like western countries.) Cut News papers in to 4 and keep it handy in the kitchen. This will be very useful to clean unwanted oil from the stove top or to clean anything.

2.You can use old news papers to clean the silver articles, lamps etc., First clean the silver lamps by using old news papers and use VHIBUDI and clean the silver lamp again. Again clean it with the news paper. No need to water. Your lamps will shine.

You can use this to clean brass lamps or brass articles also.

3.My mother use to keep oil cans in the kitchen, and it is a bore and difficult job to clean them. So I use to keep the Oil plastic pouch in a vessel, by putting one news paper under that.

So after opening the pouch we can keep it in the vessel, and we can throw the pouch after using it. Even the vessel in which you are keeping the pouch will also be clean because of the news paper. Next time put new news paper and again put a new oil pouch in that.

Like this I am keeping oil for the past 20 years. And in the same vessel I will keep Sunflower oil and Gingerly oil. For daily use you can pour the oil in small containers like this. See the photo.


A. It is a Mayonnaise bottle. After using the Mayonnaise, I cleaned the bottle and using like this.
B. I bought from the shop.

4.To take dosa easily: Cut small onion or big in to two and by using one fork, keep it in the oil. Before every dosa apply it on the tava and make dosa. For those who will not eat onion, or if you are going to make dosa on a VIRATHAM DAY, use Brinjal's head instead of onion and make dosa.

1. Generally we make KOLAMS in our houses on function days with wet rice dough. For each and every function we need them and it will be difficult to make it in small quantities.

Every time we will throw the balance dough. To avoid that, after using the dough, pour it in a plate and keep as it is. Or keep it in the sun light.

That will become dry. Make powder by crushing it and keep it in a bottle. When ever you want to make KOLAMS, JUST PUT THIS IN WATER AND MAKE FRESH WHITE DOUGH KOLAM.

To make it more white and to keep the KOLAM for a long time add some Maida flour with that and mix well. Generally I use this for KRISHNA JAYANTHI, to put BHAVAN FEET.:)

Note: Generally if you parepare kolam mavu like this at the time of aadi month, it will be easy to put kolam because aadi month marks the starting of the season of festivals.

2. Put some cardamom in the tea box.

From left over Idly, you can make 'uppma' and use it.

1. 10 Idlies
2. 2 – 4 tea spoons Dosa Milagai Powder
3. 2 – 4 Tea spoons oil
4. ½ sp. Mustard seeds
5. ½ sp. Udad dal
6. Salt
7. Curry leaves

Mash idlies by hand and make like Uppma. Keep aside
In pan pour oil, put mustard seeds and udad dal.
After that put the mashed idlies add salt and mix well.
Add curry leaves and Dosa milagai powder.
Switch off the stove and mix well.
Serve hot.

Another type:

1. 10 Idlies
2. 2 – 4 Green chilly
3. 2 Big Onion
4. 2 – 4 Tea spoons oil
5. 1 sp Cumin seeds
6. ½ sp. Mustard seeds
7. ½ sp. Udad dal
8. Salt
9. Curry leaves
10. Corainder leaves

Mash idlies by hand and make like Uppma. Keep aside.
In pan pour oil, put mustard seeds, Cumin seeds and udad dal.
Put chopped green chilies and chopped onions.
After that put the mashed idlies add salt and mix well.
Add curry leaves and Corainder leaves.
Switch off the stove and mix well.

Serve hot.

Some times we will not get soft Idly and we will not be able to eat them as it is.
So at that time you can make Idly uppma or Idly fry.
To make Idly fry, Cut idly 12 - 16 pieces.
Make all the idly like that and keep aside.
Pour oil in a pan and deep fry them like PANEER PIECES.
Remove the crispy idly pieces.
Put some salt and red chilly powder on it and mix well.
Serve with tomato sauce.
Or Put salt, chopped onions, chopped green chilly, Fresh coriander leaves and mix well.

Peel Potato and Make slices.
Put it in salt / plain water.
Heat oil and fry them.

Peel potatoes.
Put them in water as whole.
Heat oil in a pan.
Make slices over HOT OIL directly.

(If u r afraid, slice just 1 potato. Immediately fry it. Else it will surely turn brown)

Collect fried, white, crispy chips and store it in a tin.