Latest / Learn Malay with Fexingo / Malay Cooking Verbs: Stir-Fry and Simmer
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to Learn Malay with Fexingo. I am Lucas. Luna: And I am Luna. Hey everyone. It is so good to be here again. Lucas: It really is. We have covered a lot of cooking lately, from chopping to marinating. Luna: Yes, but today we are actually going to start cooking. Or at least talk about it. Lucas: Exactly. Today we focus on two very common actions in a Malaysian kitchen. The first one is tumis. Luna: Tumis. Okay. I think I know this word. Is it frying? Lucas: It is close, but specifically it means to stir-fry or sauté. Usually with aromatics like garlic or onions. Luna: Ah, right. Like when you start a curry base. Let me try. Tumis. Lucas: Good. Now let us make it a full phrase. Tumis bawang. Luna: Tumis bawang. That means stir-fry onions? Lucas: Correct. Bawang is onion. So tumis bawang is the classic first step in many dishes. Luna: Okay. Tumis bawang. I like that. It sounds simple. Lucas: It is very useful. Let us repeat it together slowly. Tumis bawang. Luna: Tumis bawang. Lucas: Again. Tumis bawang. Luna: Tumis bawang. Lucas: Perfect. Now, imagine you are making a sambal. You need heat. Luna: Oh yes. High heat. How do you say high heat in Malay? Lucas: You use the phrase api besar. Luna: Api besar. Api is fire, right? And besar is big? Lucas: Exactly. Api besar. Big fire. High flame. Luna: Got it. So I would say, api besar, then tumis bawang. Lucas: Yes. That makes sense. Let us practice the combination. Api besar. Luna: Api besar. Lucas: Now add the action. Api besar, tumis bawang. Luna: Api besar, tumis bawang. Lucas: Nice. One more time for rhythm. Api besar, tumis bawang. Luna: Api besar, tumis bawang. Lucas: Let us say it one last time to lock it in. Api besar, tumis bawang. Luna: Api besar, tumis bawang. I feel like a professional chef now. Lucas: Almost. But wait. There is one important rule in Malay cooking. Do not rush. Luna: Oh no. I usually rush. My pasta always burns because I move too fast. Lucas: So we have another phrase for that. Aduk perlahan. Luna: Aduk perlahan. Aduk is stir, right? Lucas: Yes. Aduk means to stir. Perlahan means slowly or gently. Luna: Aduk perlahan. To stir gently. That sounds nice. Very calm. Lucas: It is very calming. Let us try the full sequence. First, high heat. Luna: Api besar. Lucas: Then the action. Tumis bawang. Luna: Tumis bawang. Lucas: But remember to be gentle. Aduk perlahan. Luna: Aduk perlahan. Lucas: Great. Now let us put it all into one smooth sentence. Api besar, tumis bawang, aduk perlahan. Luna: Api besar, tumis bawang, aduk perlahan. Lucas: Beautiful. Before we go further, I want to mention something special about our show. Luna: Oh yeah. The ad-free thing. I love that part. Lucas: We deliberately keep Fexingo free of advertisements. It keeps the audio clean and focused on your learning. Luna: If you enjoy that experience, you can support us directly. The link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Your support helps us keep creating these episodes without any interruptions. Thanks for listening. Luna: Okay, back to the kitchen. What happens after we stir the onions? Lucas: Usually, you add liquid and let it cook down. This brings us to our second key concept. Luna: Is it about boiling? Or maybe simmering? Lucas: Simmering is perfect. In Malay, we often describe the result rather than just the verb. We say masak sampai kuah pekat. Luna: Masak sampai kuah pekat. That is a long one. Let me break it down. Lucas: Sure. Masak is to cook. Sampai means until. Kuah is the sauce or gravy. Pekat means thick. Luna: So it literally means cook until the sauce becomes thick. Lucas: Exactly. It describes the process of reducing the liquid. Let us try it slowly. Masak sampai kuah pekat. Luna: Masak sampai kuah pekat. Lucas: Again. Masak sampai kuah pekat. Luna: Masak sampai kuah pekat. Lucas: You are getting the hang of the rhythm. It flows well. Luna: I like it. It feels very descriptive. Like I am watching the food change. Lucas: That is the beauty of language. Now let us combine everything we learned today. Luna: Okay. Let's do the full recipe instructions. Lucas: Start with heat. Api besar. Luna: Api besar. Lucas: Add the onions. Tumis bawang. Luna: Tumis bawang. Lucas: Be gentle. Aduk perlahan. Luna: Aduk perlahan. Lucas: Wait for the sauce. Masak sampai kuah pekat. Luna: Masak sampai kuah pekat. Lucas: Fantastic. You nailed it. Let us review the whole set one more time. Luna: Ready. Api besar, tumis bawang, aduk perlahan, masak sampai kuah pekat. Lucas: Spot on. These four phrases will take you far in the kitchen. Luna: I cannot wait to try them out tonight. Maybe I will make nasi lemak. Lucas: That sounds delicious. Remember, practice makes perfect. Say them aloud as you cook. Luna: Will do. Thank you, Lucas. This was so helpful. Lucas: My pleasure. Keep practicing, and we will see you in the next episode of Learn Malay with Fexingo.