Cooking Methods (Fry, Stew, Stir) in Chinese 做菜
zuòcài
Cooking methods in Chinese is 烹饪方法 (pēng rèn fāng fǎ).
Also searched for as: fry, stew, marinate, cooking methods.
Ready for more in the kitchen? 15 essential cooking 2: prep & methods words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
做菜 (zuò cài) means cooking a dish, and this set goes beyond the basics into the preparation and heat control that make Chinese home cooking work. You'll learn to 腌 (yān) meat before cooking, 炖 (dùn) a slow-cooked soup and switch between 大火 (dà huǒ) and 小火 (xiǎo huǒ), plus the dreaded 糊了 (hú le), for when something has burnt.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 削皮 | xiāo pí | to peel |
| 剥 | bāo | to peel (with fingers) |
| 搅拌 | jiǎo bàn | to stir; to mix |
| 腌 | yān | to marinate |
| 煎 | jiān | to pan-fry |
| 炖 | dùn | to stew |
| 拌 | bàn | to toss; to mix (a salad) |
| 倒 | dào | to pour |
| 加 | jiā | to add |
| 热 | rè | to heat up |
| 开火 | kāi huǒ | to turn on the heat |
| 关火 | guān huǒ | to turn off the heat |
| 小火 | xiǎo huǒ | low heat |
| 大火 | dà huǒ | high heat |
| 糊了 | hú le | burnt |
Usage tips
- Chinese has two verbs for peeling: 削皮 (xiāo pí) uses a knife or peeler, as for potatoes, while 剥 (bāo) uses your fingers, as for garlic, oranges or prawns.
- 拌 (bàn) gives its name to cold dressed dishes, so 凉拌黄瓜 (liáng bàn huáng guā) is a cold cucumber salad tossed in dressing.
- Chinese recipes often say 适量 (shì liàng), 'a suitable amount', instead of exact measurements, as in 加适量盐 (jiā shì liàng yán), add salt to taste.
Common mistakes
- Using 糊了 (hú le) when you burn yourself; 糊 is only for burnt food, and a burn to the skin is 烫伤 (tàng shāng).
- Mixing up 搅拌 (jiǎo bàn), to stir or beat, and 拌 (bàn), to toss with dressing; you 搅拌 eggs but 拌 a salad.
- Following English word order, as in 倒油进锅里; Chinese uses 把 (bǎ) here, so say 把油倒进锅里 (bǎ yóu dào jìn guō lǐ).
Mini dialogue
- A肉腌好了吗？Ròu yān hǎo le ma?Has the meat finished marinating?
- B腌好了。先开火，把油倒进锅里。Yān hǎo le. Xiān kāi huǒ, bǎ yóu dào jìn guō lǐ.Yes. Turn the heat on first and pour the oil into the wok.
- A用大火还是小火？Yòng dà huǒ hái shi xiǎo huǒ?High heat or low heat?
- B大火炒一分钟，然后小火炖半个小时。Dà huǒ chǎo yī fēn zhōng, rán hòu xiǎo huǒ dùn bàn gè xiǎo shí.Stir-fry on high for a minute, then stew on low for half an hour.
Example sentences
- 先把土豆削皮。Peel the potatoes first.
- 帮我剥大蒜。Help me peel the garlic.
- 把鸡蛋搅拌一下。Beat the eggs.
- 肉要腌半个小时。The meat needs to marinate for half an hour.
- 我在煎鸡蛋。I'm frying an egg.
- 妈妈在炖鸡汤。Mum is stewing chicken soup.
- 拌一个黄瓜吧。Let's make a cucumber salad.
- 把油倒进锅里。Pour the oil into the wok.
- 再加点儿盐。Add a bit more salt.
- 把饭热一下。Heat the food up.
- 先开火，再放油。Turn the heat on first, then add oil.
- 好了，关火吧。It's done, turn off the heat.
- 用小火煮二十分钟。Simmer on low heat for twenty minutes.
- 大火炒一分钟。Stir-fry on high heat for one minute.
- 哎呀，菜糊了！Oh no, the food's burnt!
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Cooking 2: prep & methods speaking island has 8 everyday questions about cooking 2: prep & methods to prepare your own answers to.