Latest / Learn Swahili with Fexingo / Swahili Cooking: Chopping and Stirring
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to Learn Swahili with Fexingo. I am Lucas. Luna: And I am Luna. Hi everyone. Lucas: It is great to be back with you. We have been talking a lot about food lately. Luna: Yes. We talked about pilau and ugali. And we talked about spices. Lucas: Right. But today we want to talk about the actions. The movement in the kitchen. Luna: Oh, I love that. So not just what we eat, but how we make it. Lucas: Exactly. We are going to learn four key cooking actions. Let us start with chopping. Luna: Chopping. Okay. How do we say 'chop finely' or 'dice' in Swahili? Lucas: The phrase is Gata gaza. Luna: Gata gaza. Lucas: Listen closely. Gata gaza. Luna: Gata gaza. Lucas: Perfect. It means to cut into small pieces. Very useful for onions. Luna: I can see myself saying that. 'Gata gaza.' Like, chop this onion up. Lucas: Yes. You would say it to someone helping you cook. Or even to yourself. Luna: Gata gaza. Got it. Lucas: Now, once you have chopped everything, what is the next step? Luna: Mixing? Putting it all together? Lucas: Yes. The word for stir or mix is Changanya. Luna: Changanya. Lucas: But usually we add an adverb. We say Changanya vizuri. Luna: Changanya vizuri. Lucas: Vizuri means well or nicely. So, Changanya vizuri means mix it well. Luna: Changanya vizuri. Mix it well. That makes sense. Lucas: Let us try it again. Changanya vizuri. Luna: Changanya vizuri. Lucas: Excellent. Now, imagine you are tasting the sauce. It needs more salt. Luna: Ah, seasoning. How do we ask for that? Lucas: You say Ongeza chumvi. Luna: Ongeza chumvi. Lucas: Ongeza means add or increase. Chumvi means salt. So, add salt. Luna: Ongeza chumvi. Add salt. Lucas: Very clear. If you are cooking with a friend, you might shout that across the kitchen. Luna: 'Hey, Ongeza chumvi!' Yes. I think I have used too little salt before. Lucas: We all have. Finally, let us talk about stirring slowly. Sometimes you need to be gentle. Luna: Like when making rice so it does not stick? Lucas: Exactly. The verb is Pindaa. But we often say Pindaa polepole.