Latest / Learn Malay with Fexingo / Malay Cooking Verbs: Mash and Crumble
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey everyone. Welcome back to Learn Malay with Fexingo. I am Lucas. Luna: And I am Luna. It is so good to be back at the kitchen table again. Lucas: It really is. We have covered a lot of verbs recently. Fry, stir, boil, simmer. Luna: Right. My apron is still full of spice from last time. But today feels different. Lucas: Today is about touch. And force. We are going to talk about breaking things down. Luna: Breaking things? Like smashing them? Lucas: Exactly. In Malay, we use specific words for how soft or fine you make an ingredient. Luna: Oh, I love that. So if I just chop garlic, it is one thing. If I smash it, it is another? Lucas: Yes. Let us start with the most common base for many sauces. Garlic. Luna: Garlic. Okay. How do we say crush garlic? Lucas: The word is hancur. To crush or pound until it breaks apart completely. Luna: Hancur. That sounds strong. Like a hammer hit. Lucas: It is strong. You use it for garlic, ginger, or chilies when you want a paste. Luna: Okay. So if I am making sambal, I need to crush the garlic. Lucas: Correct. The full phrase is hancur bawang putih. Luna: Hancur bawang putih. Lucas: Try it again. Slowly. Hancur bawang putih. Luna: Hancur bawang putih. Crush garlic. Lucas: Perfect. Imagine holding a pestle and mortar. You push down hard. Luna: I can hear the crunching sound already. Hancur bawang putih. Lucas: Good. Now, let us look at peanuts. Peanuts are harder than garlic. Luna: They are very crunchy. Hard to break. Lucas: For peanuts, we often use tumbuk. It means to pound or grind. Luna: Tumbuk. Is that like grinding coffee beans? Lucas: Very similar. You pound them until they are small pieces or powder. Luna: So for peanuts, I say tumbuk kacang tanah. Lucas: Yes. Kacang tanah is peanuts. Tumbuk kacang tanah. Luna: Tumbuk kacang tanah. Pound the peanuts. Lucas: Let me hear it. Tumbuk kacang tanah. Luna: Tumbuk kacang tanah. There it is. Lucas: You got it. This is essential for satay sauce or curry pastes. Luna: I feel like my hands are getting tired just listening to these. Lucas: They are physical actions. Now, let us try something softer. Bread. Luna: Bread? Why would I break bread in Malay cooking? Lucas: Sometimes for thickness, or to mix into stews. Or even for snacks. Luna: Okay. How do you crumble bread? Lucas: We use remas. It means to knead, squeeze, or crumble with your hand. Luna: Remas. It sounds like a soft sound. Like squeezing dough. Lucas: Exactly. Not as hard as hancur. More like shaping or breaking apart gently. Luna: So if I have stale bread, I remas it into crumbs. Lucas: Yes. Remas roti. Roti is bread. Remas roti. Luna: Remas roti. Squeeze the bread. Lucas: Again. Remas roti. Luna: Remas roti. I like this one. It feels gentle. Lucas: It is useful for coating fish or making fillings. Very practical. Luna: Okay, one more. Chilies. They are small but sharp. Lucas: Right. Sometimes you want them crushed. Sometimes you want them sliced thin. Luna: Thin slices? For garnish? Lucas: Yes. Very pretty on top of soup or rice. The phrase is hiris halus cili. Luna: Hiris halus cili. Slice finely chili. Lucas: Hiris means to slice. Halus means fine or thin. Cili is chili. Luna: Hiris halus cili. I can see the red specks falling onto the plate. Lucas: Beautiful imagery. Say it again. Hiris halus cili. Luna: Hiris halus cili. Slice the chili thinly. Lucas: Excellent. You are picking these up fast. Let us review the set. Luna: Okay. First, hancur bawang putih. Lucas: Crush garlic. Luna: Second, tumbuk kacang tanah. Lucas: Pound peanuts. Luna: Third, remas roti. Lucas: Crumble bread. Luna: And fourth, hiris halus cili. Lucas: Slice chili thinly. Luna: Those are four solid tools for any kitchen. Lucas: They are. Before we go, I want to share a quick thought. Luna: Sure. Lucas: If Fexingo has been helping you make actual progress with this language, consider supporting us. Luna: It keeps the show ad-free and allows us to keep recording these lessons. Lucas: You can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo — that's F. E. X. I. N. G. O. Luna: Thank you for keeping this community alive. It means a lot. Lucas: Back to the kitchen. Which of these will you try first? Luna: I think I will start with the peanuts. Tumbuk kacang tanah. Lucas: Smart choice. The smell of roasted peanuts is amazing. Luna: I might make a batch of sambal too. Hancur bawang putih. Lucas: Do it. Just don't forget to hiris halus cili for the finish. Luna: I won't. Thanks, Lucas. Lucas: Anytime. Practice these phrases till we chat again. Luna: See you next time. Bye.