Do you want to impress your friends with your Chinese cooking AND your vocabulary?
In my new video, I'm diving deep into 50 essential Chinese cooking verbs! This comprehensive guide will not only expand your vocabulary but also help you understand recipes and cooking instructions with ease.
We’ll provide the Chinese characters and their pronunciations along with easy-to-follow examples to illustrate how each verb is used.
So, let's get cooking!
Summary Of "50 Advanced Chinese Cooking Verbs You Need to Know" From The Video Above
Cooking Verbs in Chinese for Preparation
| Verb | Pinyin | English | Example Sentence | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 切 | qiē | Cut | 请把蔬菜切成小块。 (Qǐng bǎ shūcài qiē chéng xiǎo kuài.) | Please cut the vegetables into small pieces. |
| 切片 | qiē piàn | Slice | 我们需要把土豆切片。 (Wǒmen xūyào bǎ tǔdòu qiē piàn.) | We need to slice the potatoes. |
| 剥 | bō | Peel | 请把橙子剥好。 (Qǐng bǎ chéngzi bō hǎo.) | Please peel the oranges. |
| 削 | xiāo | Peel | 请用削皮器削苹果。 (Qǐng yòng xiāo pí qì xiāo píngguǒ.) | Please peel the apples with a peeler. |
| 斩 | zhǎn | Chop | 把鸡肉斩成小块。 (Bǎ jīròu zhǎn chéng xiǎo kuài.) | Chop the chicken into small pieces. |
| 剁碎 | duò suì | Mince | 请把大蒜剁碎。 (Qǐng bǎ dàsuàn duò suì.) | Please mince the garlic. |
| 洗 | xǐ | Wash | 煮饭前要把米洗干净。 (Zhǔ fàn qián yào bǎ mǐ xǐ gānjìng.) | Wash the rice thoroughly before cooking. |
| 称 | chēng | To Weigh | 请称一下面粉的重量。 (Qǐng chēng yīxià miànfěn de zhòngliàng.) | Please weigh the flour. |
| 量 | liáng | To Measure | 用量杯量出200毫升牛奶。 (Yòng liáng bēi liáng chū 200 háoshēng niúnǎi.) | Measure out 200 milliliters of milk using a measuring cup. |
| 泡 | pào | To Soak | 把豆子泡一夜。 (Bǎ dòuzi pào yī yè.) | Soak the beans overnight. |
| 晾干 | liàng gān | To Air Dry | 把洗好的蔬菜晾干。 (Bǎ xǐ hǎo de shūcài liàng gān.) | Air dry the washed vegetables. |
These verbs are essential in the kitchen and knowing them will help you follow recipes and instructions in Chinese more easily.
Chinese Verbs for Cooking Without Heat
| Verb | Pinyin | English | Example Sentence | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 拌 | bàn | Dressing / Mixing | 请把沙拉拌一下。 (Qǐng bǎ shālā bàn yīxià.) | Please mix the salad. |
| 腌 | yān | Marinating / Pickling | 把肉腌两个小时。 (Bǎ ròu yān liǎng gè xiǎoshí.) | Marinate the meat for two hours. |
| 冻 | dòng | Jellifying | 把它放在冰箱里冻一下。 (Bǎ tā fàng zài bīngxiāng lǐ dòng yīxià.) | Put it in the fridge to jellify. |
| 放 | fàng | Put | 请把蔬菜放进锅里。 (Qǐng bǎ shūcài fàng jìn guō lǐ.) | Please put the vegetables into the pot. |
| 倒 | dào | Pour | 请把牛奶倒进杯子里。 (Qǐng bǎ niúnǎi dào jìn bēizi lǐ.) | Please pour the milk into the cup. |
| 加 | jiā | Add | 在汤里加点盐。 (Zài tāng lǐ jiā diǎn yán.) | Add some salt to the soup. |
| 挤 | jǐ | Squeeze | 挤出柠檬汁。 (Jǐ chū níngméng zhī.) | Squeeze out the lemon juice. |
| 磕 | kē | Crack | 把鸡蛋磕进碗里。 (Bǎ jīdàn kē jìn wǎn lǐ.) | Crack the egg into the bowl. |
| 抹 | mǒ | Spread | 把黄油抹在面包上。 (Bǎ huángyóu mǒ zài miànbāo shàng.) | Spread the butter on the bread. |
| 搅 | jiǎo | Mix | 把面糊搅匀。 (Bǎ miànhú jiǎo yún.) | Mix the batter until smooth. |
| 蘸 | zhàn | Dip | 把饺子蘸醋吃。 (Bǎ jiǎozi zhàn cù chī.) | Dip the dumplings in vinegar. |
| 撒 | sǎ | Sprinkle | 在披萨上撒点芝士。 (Zài pīsà shàng sǎ diǎn zhīshì.) | Sprinkle some cheese on the pizza. |
| 翻 | fān | Flip / Turn Over | 把煎饼翻过来。 (Bǎ jiānbǐng fān guòlái.) | Flip the pancake over. |
| 擀 | gǎn | Roll | 把面团擀成薄片。 (Bǎ miàntuán gǎn chéng báopiàn.) | Roll the dough into thin sheets. |
| 揉 | róu | Knead the Dough | 把面团揉到光滑。 (Bǎ miàntuán róu dào guānghuá.) | Knead the dough until it’s smooth. |
These verbs cover a range of essential cooking techniques, helping you navigate recipes and kitchen tasks in Chinese.
Chinese Verbs for Cooking With Heat
| Verb | Pinyin | English | Example Sentence | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 煮 | zhǔ | Boil | 请把鸡蛋煮十分钟。 (Qǐng bǎ jīdàn zhǔ shí fēnzhōng.) | Please boil the eggs for ten minutes. |
| 水煮 | shuǐ zhǔ | Poach | 请把鸡胸肉水煮熟。 (Qǐng bǎ jīxiōngròu shuǐ zhǔ shú.) | Please poach the chicken breast until it's cooked. |
| 蒸 | zhēng | Steam | 请把鱼蒸二十分钟。 (Qǐng bǎ yú zhēng èrshí fēnzhōng.) | Please steam the fish for twenty minutes. |
| 煎 | jiān | Pan-fry | 请把鸡蛋煎一下。 (Qǐng bǎ jīdàn jiān yīxià.) | Please pan-fry the egg. |
| 炒 | chǎo | Stir-fry | 请把蔬菜炒熟。 (Qǐng bǎ shūcài chǎo shú.) | Please stir-fry the vegetables until they are cooked. |
| 炸 | zhà | Deep-fry | 请把鸡翅炸到金黄色。 (Qǐng bǎ jīchì zhà dào jīnhuángsè.) | Please deep-fry the chicken wings until they are golden brown. |
| 融化 | róng huà | Melt | 请把黄油融化。 (Qǐng bǎ huángyóu rónghuà.) | Please melt the butter. |
| 烤 | kǎo | Roast | 请把鸡肉烤四十五分钟。 (Qǐng bǎ jīròu kǎo sìshíwǔ fēnzhōng.) | Please roast the chicken for forty-five minutes. |
| 烘 | hōng | Bake | 请把蛋糕烘四十分钟。 (Qǐng bǎ dàngāo hōng sìshí fēnzhōng.) | Please bake the cake for forty minutes. |
| 焗 | jú | Bake in Foil or Paper | 请把鱼用锡纸焗熟。 (Qǐng bǎ yú yòng xīzhǐ jú shú.) | Please bake the fish in foil until it's cooked. |
| 烧 | shāo | Braise | 请把牛肉烧两个小时。 (Qǐng bǎ niúròu shāo liǎng gè xiǎoshí.) | Please braise the beef for two hours. |
| 熏 | xūn | Smoke | 请把鱼熏一小时。 (Qǐng bǎ yú xūn yī xiǎoshí.) | Please smoke the fish for an hour. |
| 烫 | tàng | Scald | 请把番茄烫一下去皮。 (Qǐng bǎ fānqié tàng yīxià qù pí.) | Please scald the tomatoes to remove their skins. |
| 热 | rè | Heat Up | 请把汤热一下。 (Qǐng bǎ tāng rè yīxià.) | Please heat up the soup. |
| 盖 | gài | To Cover | 请把锅盖上。 (Qǐng bǎ guō gài shàng.) | Please cover the pot. |
These verbs will help you understand and follow Chinese cooking instructions more effectively.
Uniquely Chinese Cooking Methods (Chinese Cooking Vocabulary)
| Chinese Verb | Pinyin | English | Explanation | Example Sentence | English Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 焖 | mèn | Simmer/Stew | To cook food slowly in a tightly covered pot with a small amount of liquid. | 请把牛肉焖两个小时。 (Qǐng bǎ niúròu mèn liǎng gè xiǎoshí.) | Please simmer the beef for two hours. |
| 红烧 | hóng shāo | Red Braise | To braise food with soy sauce and sugar, giving it a reddish-brown color. | 红烧肉是我的拿手菜。 (Hóngshāo ròu shì wǒ de náshǒu cài.) | Red-braised pork is my specialty. |
| 卤 | lǔ | Braise in Soy Sauce | To braise or stew food in a spiced soy sauce mixture. | 卤鸡蛋非常美味。 (Lǔ jīdàn fēicháng měiwèi.) | Soy-braised eggs are very delicious. |
| 熬汤 | áo tāng | To Make Soup/Slow Cook Soup | To simmer ingredients for a long time to make a rich and flavorful soup. | 奶奶喜欢熬鸡汤。 (Nǎinai xǐhuān áo jī tāng.) | Grandma likes to make chicken soup. |
| 爆 | bào | Quick Fry/Flash Fry | To cook food quickly at high heat with a small amount of oil. | 把姜和蒜爆一下再加蔬菜。 (Bǎ jiāng hé suàn bào yīxià zài jiā shūcài.) | Quickly fry the ginger and garlic before adding the vegetables. |
| 炖 | dùn | Stew/Braise | To cook food slowly in liquid over low heat for a long time. | 炖牛肉需要几个小时。 (Dùn niúròu xūyào jǐ gè xiǎoshí.) | Stewing beef takes several hours. |
| 拔丝 | bá sī | Caramelize | To coat food in caramelized sugar, forming thin, crispy threads when pulled. | 这道拔丝红薯非常好吃。 (Zhè dào básī hóngshǔ fēicháng hǎochī.) | This caramelized sweet potato dish is very tasty. |
| 盐焗 | yán jú | Salt Bake | To bake food in a crust of coarse salt. | 盐焗鸡是一道特色菜。 (Yánjú jī shì yī dào tèsè cài.) | Salt-baked chicken is a specialty dish. |
| 炝 | qiàng | To Stir-Fry Quickly | To quickly stir-fry food, often with spices or aromatics, to release their flavors. | 把蔬菜炝一下增加风味。 (Bǎ shūcài qiàng yīxià zēngjiā fēngwèi.) | Quickly stir-fry the vegetables to enhance their flavor. |
| 烩 | huì | Braise in Sauce/Stew | To cook food in a thick sauce or gravy, often with a mix of ingredients. | 这道烩豆腐非常美味。 (Zhè dào huì dòufu fēicháng měiwèi.) | This braised tofu dish is very delicious. |
These cooking methods are integral to Chinese cuisine so understanding them can give you a deeper appreciation for the complexity and variety of Chinese dishes.
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