Latest / Learn Malay with Fexingo / Malay Cooking Verbs: Boil and Simmer
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey everyone. Welcome back to Learn Malay with Fexingo. I am Lucas. Luna: And I am Luna. We are back at it again. Episode 275. Lucas: That is right. If you have been listening for a while, you know we love talking about food. And more specifically, how to cook it. Luna: Yes. Last time we talked about marinating and seasoning. That felt very professional. Like I was a real chef. Lucas: You were doing great. Today we move to the next step. What happens after you season the meat? You put it in the pot. Or maybe you are making soup. Luna: Right. So today is about heat. About water. Two words that change everything in the kitchen. Lucas: Exactly. Let us start with the first one. It is a word you might already know from basic survival Malay. But here, it has a specific job. Luna: Is it 'masak'? To cook? Lucas: 'Masak' is the general word. But when we use water and heat, we use 'rebus'. Listen to this. Lucas: Saya sedang rebus telur. Luna: Wait. Let me try that. Saya... sedang... rebus... telur. Lucas: Good. 'Saya sedang rebus telur.' means 'I am boiling eggs.' Notice the structure. 'Saya' for I. 'Sedang' for currently doing. 'Rebus' for the action of boiling. 'Telur' for eggs. Luna: Okay. So if I want to say I am boiling rice, I just swap 'telur' for 'nasi'? Lucas: Precisely. 'Saya sedang rebus nasi.' Although, usually we say 'memasak nasi'. But 'rebus' works for any liquid-based cooking. Vegetables, meat, eggs. Anything submerged in water. Luna: Got it. Rebus. To boil. It feels simple. But what about the second word? The one about the fire? Lucas: Ah, yes. This is where people get confused. In English, we say 'boil' for both rolling bubbles and gentle bubbling. In Malay, we distinguish them slightly. Luna: How so? Lucas: The state of the water being hot and bubbly is 'didih'. As a noun or verb root. But let us see it in action. Listen closely. Lucas: Tunggu sampai air didih. Luna: Tunggu... sampai... air... didih. Lucas: Very good. 'Tunggu sampai air didih.' means 'Wait until the water boils.' Here, 'tunggu' is wait. 'Sampai' is until. 'Air' is water. 'Didih' is the boiling point. Luna: So 'didih' describes the water itself? Not just the action? Lucas: Exactly. It describes the state. When the water reaches that state, it is 'didih'. Now, let us combine them. Imagine you are making a soup. You need it to bubble gently. Lucas: Api kecil, biar mendidih perlahan. Luna: Whoa. That one is long. Let me break it down. Api... kecil... Lucas: Take your time. 'Api' is fire. 'Kecil' is small. So 'Api kecil' is low heat. Go on. Luna: Okay. Biar... mendidih... perlahan. 'Biar' means let it be. 'Mendidih' is to boil. 'Perlahan' is slowly. So... 'Let it boil slowly on low heat.' Lucas: Spot on. 'Api kecil, biar mendidih perlahan.' This is a crucial phrase. If you leave it on high heat, the water evaporates too fast. You want it to simmer. To 'mendidih perlahan'. Luna: I can see why this matters. My last attempt at soup ended up dry because I used too much fire. I should have said 'api kecil'. Lucas: We have all been there. Let us practice the full sequence. You are starting dinner. First, you put the eggs in the water. Luna: Okay. I say: 'Saya sedang rebus telur.' Lucas: Good. Then you wait for the water to get hot. Luna: I say: 'Tunggu sampai air didih.' Lucas: Perfect. Then you lower the flame and let it simmer. Luna: I say: 'Api kecil, biar mendidih perlahan.' Lucas: Excellent. One more thing before we wrap up this section. Often, while the water is heating up, someone asks for help. Or you give an instruction. Lucas: Kau boleh tambah garam. Luna: Kau... boleh... tambah... garam. Lucas: Nice. 'Kau' is you. 'Boleh' is can or may. 'Tambah' is add. 'Garam' is salt. 'Kau boleh tambah garam.' means 'You can add salt.' Simple. Useful. Luna: It feels very natural. Like I am actually in the kitchen giving orders. Lucas: That is the goal. These phrases are not just for exams. They are for life. For actual meals. Luna: Speaking of meals, do you ever think about how much effort goes into keeping this show running? All these episodes? Lucas: I do. And I appreciate every listener who helps out. If Fexingo has been helping you make actual progress with this language, consider supporting us. A couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's F. E. X. I. N. G. O. Luna: Yeah, it really does make a difference. It lets us keep making these small, digestible lessons for free. Lucas: Thanks for listening. Now, back to the kitchen. Let us review those four phrases one last time. Luna: Ready? Here we go. Lucas: Phrase one. I am boiling eggs. Luna: Saya sedang rebus telur. Lucas: Phrase two. Wait until the water boils. Luna: Tunggu sampai air didih. Lucas: Phrase three. Low heat, let it simmer slowly. Luna: Api kecil, biar mendidih perlahan. Lucas: Phrase four. You can add salt. Luna: Kau boleh tambah garam. Lucas: Great job today. Remember, repetition is key. Say these out loud while you cook your own meals. Luna: Or even while you pretend to cook. No judgment here. Lucas: Exactly. Practice these till we chat again. See you next time.