Latest / Learn Cantonese with Fexingo / Cantonese Kitchen: Cooking Verbs Basics
Transcript
- Lucas: Hello everyone, and welcome back to another episode of Learn Cantonese with Fexingo. Luna: Hi guys! I am so ready for today. Lucas: We have been to the cinema, we have been to the beach, and we even did some clothing shopping. Luna: And we talked about haircuts last time. That was scary but fun. Lucas: It was. And before that, we looked at kitchen items like chopsticks and spoons. Luna: Right. But knowing the tools is one thing. Knowing what to do with them is another. Lucas: Exactly. So today, we are staying in the kitchen, but we are moving from nouns to verbs. Luna: I love this. I want to actually cook something, not just hold the spoon. Lucas: Then let's start with the most basic action. The general word for cooking or preparing food. Luna: What is it? Lucas: It is 煮嘢食. Let me say it slowly. 煮嘢食. Luna: 煮嘢食. Lucas: Good. It literally means 'cook something to eat'. It covers everything from boiling rice to frying an egg. Luna: Okay. 煮嘢食. So if I ask my mom what she is doing, I can say 'Are you 煮嘢食?'. Lucas: Yes. Or you can say 'I am 煮嘢食' when you are busy in the kitchen. Luna: I am 煮嘢食. That feels very natural. Lucas: It is. Now, Cantonese cuisine has many methods. But the most common one you will hear is stir-frying. Luna: Stir-frying. Like in Wok Hei restaurants? Lucas: Exactly. The verb for stir-fry is 炒. Just one character. Let's try it. 炒. Luna: 炒. Lucas: Nice and crisp. If I want to say 'I want to stir-fry vegetables', I would say '我想炒菜'. Luna: 我想炒菜. I like the sound of that. Lucas: Let's put two words together. 'I want to cook, and then stir-fry'. So, '我想煮嘢食，然後炒'. Luna: 我想煮嘢食，然後炒. Okay, I got it. Lucas: Great. Now, imagine you are actually standing at the stove. You need to know when things are happening. Luna: Like when the water is ready? Lucas: Yes. When the water boils, you say 水滾咗喇. This is very important for making noodles or dim sum. Luna: 水滾咗喇. Lucas: Let's break it down slightly for your ears. 水 is water. 滾 is boil. 咗喇 indicates the change has happened. Luna: So it means 'The water has boiled'. Got it. 水滾咗喇. Lucas: Perfect. Now, before you can stir-fry, you need heat and oil. Luna: This is where it gets exciting. The sizzle. Lucas: To add oil, we use the verb 落. So, 'add oil' is 落油. Luna: 落油. Like dropping the oil in? Lucas: Yes. 落油. And you might say 'Quick, 落油' before the pan burns. Luna: Quick, 落油. I feel like a chef already. Lucas: You are. And finally, the most critical safety warning. Before you 落油, you must check the pan. Luna: Right. You don't want cold oil. Lucas: No. You say 鑊熱咗喇. 鑊 is wok or pan. 熱 is hot. 咗喇 is the change marker. Luna: 鑊熱咗喇. Lucas: Say it with me. 鑊熱咗喇. Luna: 鑊熱咗喇. The pan is hot. Lucas: Exactly. So the full sequence is: 水滾咗喇, 鑊熱咗喇, 落油, 炒. Luna: That is a beautiful rhythm. 水滾咗喇, 鑊熱咗喇, 落油, 炒. Lucas: It really is. And all of this falls under the umbrella of 煮嘢食. Luna: I think I could manage a simple dinner now. Lucas: I bet you could. But first, I want to take a tiny moment to talk about Fexingo. Luna: Oh, sure. Lucas: If these short episodes have helped you feel more confident with Cantonese, there is a way to support the show directly. Luna: Yeah, listener support keeps the servers running and the audio crisp. Lucas: A small monthly contribution makes a real difference. You can visit buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: It really helps us keep making these free lessons for everyone. Thanks for considering it. Lucas: Back to the kitchen. Let's review those phrases one more time, slowly. Luna: Okay. First, 煮嘢食. To cook food. Lucas: Correct. Next, 炒. To stir-fry. Luna: Got it. Then, 水滾咗喇. The water has boiled. Lucas: Yes. Then, 落油. Add oil. Luna: And finally, 鑊熱咗喇. The pan is hot. Lucas: Spot on. Try using them in your head while you make tea tonight. Luna: I will. Even if I am just boiling water, I can say 水滾咗喇. Lucas: Exactly. Practice makes perfect. We will see you next time. Luna: Bye everyone!