Latest / Learn Cantonese with Fexingo / Cantonese Kitchen: Washing and Peeling Veggies
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to another small step with Fexingo. I am Lucas. Luna: And I am Luna. Hey everyone. We are so happy to be here again. Lucas: We have been talking a lot about cooking lately. Last week we did stir-fry techniques. Before that, we looked at knives and pots. Luna: Right. But today we want to go one step further back. What do you do before you even touch the heat? Lucas: Exactly. Preparation. Cleaning. Cutting. It is the foundation of good food. Let us start with the very first thing. Luna: You take the vegetables out of the bag. They are dirty. So what is the word for washing them? Lucas: Good question. The verb is wash. And vegetable is cai. Together, it is xicai. Luna: Xicai. Okay. Let me try. Xicai. Lucas: That is it. Xicai. To wash the vegetables. Say it with me slowly. Xicai. Luna: Xicai. Xicai. Oh, I love how simple that is. Just wash and vegetable. Lucas: Exactly. It is very direct. In Cantonese, we often just say the action and the object. Xicai. Luna: Okay. So if I am holding a bunch of spinach, I would say 'xicai'. Like, 'I need to wash the spinach'? Lucas: Yes. Or simply 'xicai' if someone asks what you are doing. You are washing vegetables. Xicai. Luna: Got it. Xicai. Now, what if the vegetable has skin? Like a potato or a cucumber? Lucas: Then you need to peel it. The verb for peel is xue. And skin is pi. Together, it is xuopi. Luna: Xuopi. Peel skin. That makes sense. Let me try. Xuopi. Lucas: Perfect. Xuopi. Say it again. Xuopi. Luna: Xuopi. Xuopi. Oh, that sounds quite sharp. Like the action itself. Lucas: It does. It feels precise. When you are prepping, you might tell your partner 'xuopi' meaning 'peel these'. Luna: Yeah. 'Xuopi zhedie'. Peel these. But wait, Lucas. What if I don't have a peeler? Lucas: Then you use a knife. But be careful. After you wash and peel, what comes next? Luna: Cutting! Yes. Cutting into pieces. How do we say cut well or cut properly? Lucas: The verb for cut is qie. And good or finished is hao. So 'qiehao' means cut properly or cut into pieces ready to cook. Luna: Qiehao. Cut good. Okay. Qiehao. Let me repeat. Qiehao. Qiehao. Lucas: Very good. Qiehao. This is a very common command in a busy kitchen. 'Qiehao le' means 'cut and ready'. Luna: Oh, I see. So 'le' marks that the state is complete. Qiehao le. Cut and done. Lucas: Exactly. You wash, you peel, you cut. Now everything is ready. But there is one more important word. Luna: What is it? Is it the cutting board? Lucas: No, we learned that already. It is about cleanliness. When things are clean, we say ganjing. Luna: Ganjing. Clean. Ganjing. Okay. Ganjing. Oh, that feels satisfying to say. Lucas: It does. Ganjing. Make sure your hands are ganjing before you touch the food. Luna: Right. Hygiene is key. So 'xicai', 'xuopi', 'qiehao', and make sure it is 'ganjing'. Lucas: Spot on. One last phrase for the whole process. When all your ingredients are washed, peeled, and cut, we say they are prepared. Luna: Prepared? How do we say that? Lucas: Be is bei. Tuo is tuo, meaning settle or arrange. Beituo means prepared or set aside ready for use. Luna: Beituo. Prepared. Beituo. Okay. Beituo. That sounds professional. Lucas: It is. Chefs use this word a lot. 'Yi qie dou beituo le' means everything is prepared. Luna: Everything is prepared. Wow. So the sequence is: xicai, xuopi, qiehao, ganjing, and finally beituo. Lucas: Perfect summary. Let us run through them one last time. Wash vegetables. Xicai. Luna: Xicai. Peel skin. Xuopi. Lucas: Cut properly. Qiehao. Clean. Ganjing. Luna: Prepared. Beituo. I feel like I can actually cook now. Lucas: You certainly can. Small steps lead to big meals. Remember, practice these until they feel natural. Luna: Yeah. Try washing something tonight and say xicai out loud. It adds a fun rhythm to chores. Lucas: Exactly. If Fexingo has been helping you make actual progress with this language, your support keeps us going. Luna: If today was useful, consider supporting us. buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo helps keep these episodes ad-free. Lucas: We appreciate it. It allows us to focus on quality content for learners like you. Luna: Thanks for listening. Now, let us get back to our pretend kitchen. Lucas: Right. Where were we? Ah yes. The onions. Luna: The onions. Lucas, help me xuopi these onions. My eyes are watering. Lucas: Hold on. First, make sure they are ganjing. Rinse them under cold water. Luna: Rinsing... okay. Xicai wan bi. Washing onions too. Lucas: Careful with the knife. Use a sharp one. Then qiehao them thinly for stir-fry. Luna: Qiehao... qiehao... There. All cut. Now they are beituo. Lucas: Excellent work. Beituo wan bi. Everything is ready. Let us turn on the stove. Luna: Wait. Did I wash my hands? Check for ganjing! Lucas: They are ganjing. I checked. Go ahead and start heating the oil. Luna: Phew. Okay. Here goes nothing. Xicai, xuopi, qiehao, ganjing, beituo. Let's cook. Lucas: That is the spirit. Practice these phrases daily. They will stick soon enough. Luna: See you next time. Keep practicing your xicai and xuopi. Lucas: Bye for now. Enjoy your cooking.