Latest / Learn Malay with Fexingo / Malay Cooking Verbs - Grate and Peel
Transcript
- Lucas: Hi everyone. Welcome back to Learn Malay with Fexingo. I am Lucas. Luna: And I am Luna. It is good to be here again. We have been cooking a lot lately. Lucas: We really have. Last time we talked about chopping and slicing. That was very useful. Luna: Yes. But today we are going even smaller. We are going to make the pieces tiny. Lucas: Exactly. In Malay, there are two specific verbs for making things small or removing the outside. The first one is parut. Luna: Parut. Okay. Parut. Does that mean to chop? Lucas: No. Chop is potong. Parut means to grate. Like using a grater on cheese or ginger. Luna: Oh. To grate. Okay. So if I want to say parut halia... that would be grate ginger? Lucas: Perfect. Parut halia. Let me say it slowly. Parut halia.... Parut halia. Luna: Parut halia. Grate ginger. I can hear the rhythm now. Pa-rut ha li a. Lucas: You got it. This is a very common phrase in Malay kitchens. Especially when making sambal or curry paste. Luna: I love that. It feels so specific. Not just 'cook', but actually describe the action. Lucas: It does. Now, the second verb is kulit. But we usually use it as kupas when talking about fruit or vegetables. Luna: Kupas. Kupas. What does that mean? Is it to cut? Lucas: Close, but not quite. Kupas means to peel. Like peeling a potato or an orange. Luna: Peel. Okay. So kulit is the root, but kupas is the action word? Lucas: Yes. Kulit is the noun for skin or peel. Kupas is the verb to remove it. Let's try a phrase. Kulit kentang. Luna: Kulit kentang. Potato skin? Lucas: Correct. But if you are doing the action, you might say kupas kentang. Peel the potato. Let me repeat. Kupas kentang.... Kupas kentang. Luna: Kupas kentang. Peel potato. Got it. Koo-pas ken-tang. Lucas: Good. Now let's put them into sentences. Imagine you are in the kitchen. You are holding a grater. Luna: Okay. So I would say Saya sedang parut kunyit. Lucas: Yes. Saya sedang parut kunyit. I am currently grating turmeric. Luna: Saya sedang parut kunyit. That sounds very natural. Saya sedang parut kunyit. Lucas: Very natural. And for the other one? If you are holding a fruit? Luna: Tolong kupas buah ini. Please peel this fruit. Lucas: Perfect. Tolong kupas buah ini. You used the polite request form too. Excellent work. Luna: Thanks. It feels good to know these small details. It makes the language feel more real. Lucas: It does. And it helps you understand recipes better. When a recipe says parut, you know exactly what tool to grab. Luna: Right. No guessing. Just parut or kupas. Simple and clear. Lucas: Let's review quickly. Parut means to grate. Kupas means to peel. Luna: Parut and kupas. I will remember those. They are easy to say. Lucas: They are. And don't forget the objects. Halia is ginger. Kunyit is turmeric. Kentang is potato. Luna: Halia, kunyit, kentang. Got it. I think I need to go practice these in my own kitchen. Lucas: That is a great idea. Go grate some ginger. Or peel a potato. And tell us how it goes. Luna: Will do. Thanks for teaching us these today, Lucas. Lucas: My pleasure. Keep practicing. We will see you next time. Luna: Bye for now. Lucas: Before we go, I want to mention something important. If Fexingo has been helping you make actual progress with this language... Luna: Yeah, it really has for me. Learning these specific verbs changes everything. Lucas: Exactly. Listener support is what keeps this show ad-free and growing. If you want to help, you can visit buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: It is such a simple way to show you care about the content. And it works. Lucas: It does. Thank you for listening. Now, back to our cooking. Luna: Yes. So, parut halia again. Just to lock it in. Parut halia. Lucas: Parut halia. Yes. And kupas kentang. Kupas kentang. Luna: Kupas kentang. I like that one. It sounds strong. Kupas kentang. Lucas: It does. Remember, context matters. Are you removing the skin? Use kupas. Are you shredding it fine? Use parut. Luna: Got it. Remove skin is kupas. Shred fine is parut. Clear distinction. Lucas: Clear. And helpful. Think about your last meal. Did you eat anything that needed peeling? Luna: Hmm. I had potatoes yesterday. So I was kupas kentang. Yesterday. Lucas: Past tense context. Good. You said Saya kupas kentang semalam. I peeled potatoes yesterday. Luna: Saya kupas kentang semalam. Yeah. That works perfectly. Lucas: See? You are already building sentences. That is the power of small steps. Luna: It is. One verb at a time. Parut. Kupas. Simple. Lucas: Simple and effective. Let's try one more combination. Parut buah naga. Luna: Parut buah naga. Grate dragon fruit. Wait, do people grate dragon fruit? Lucas: Maybe not commonly. But grammatically, it is correct. You can grate any soft fruit or vegetable. Luna: Okay. Parut buah naga. It sounds poetic. Parut buah naga. Lucas: It does. Language can be poetic too. I like that. Let's stick to practical things though. Luna: True. Praktikal is better. Parut bawang putih. Grate garlic. Lucas: Bawang putih. Garlic. Yes. Parut bawang putih is a very useful phrase for cooking. Luna: Parut bawang putih. I will add that to my list. Parut bawang putih. Lucas: Good list. You are building a strong foundation. One verb at a time. Luna: One verb at a time. Parut. Kupas. Saya siap. Lucas: You are ready. For the kitchen, and for the language. Well done, Luna. Luna: Thank you, Lucas. I feel confident. Parut halia. Kupas kentang. Lucas: Confident and correct. That is what we aim for. Keep repeating these phrases. Luna: I will. I probably should go check my kitchen supplies now. Lucas: Do that. Check for a grater. And maybe some potatoes. Kupas kentang later. Luna: Deal. See you next episode. Lucas: See you next time. Practice well.