Cooking at Home
intermediate在家做饭
Master kitchen Chinese — from ingredients and utensils to cooking methods and following recipes.
53 words15 phrases2 dialogues~30 min study time
Vocabulary
53 words — click any row for an example sentence
Kitchen Items
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 厨房 | chúfáng | kitchen | noun |
| 炉子 | lúzi | stove | noun |
| 冰箱 | bīngxiāng | refrigerator | noun |
| 微波炉 | wēibōlú | microwave oven | noun |
| 锅 | guō | pot; pan | noun |
| 炒锅 | chǎoguō | wok | noun |
| 平底锅 | píngdǐguō | frying pan | noun |
| 砧板 | zhēnbǎn | cutting board | noun |
| 刀 | dāo | knife | noun |
| 烤箱 | kǎoxiāng | oven | noun |
Cooking Methods
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 炒 | chǎo | to stir-fry | verb |
| 煮 | zhǔ | to boil; to cook in water | verb |
| 蒸 | zhēng | to steam | verb |
| 炸 | zhá | to deep-fry | verb |
| 烤 | kǎo | to roast; to bake; to grill | verb |
| 煎 | jiān | to pan-fry | verb |
| 炖 | dùn | to stew; to braise | verb |
| 拌 | bàn | to mix; to toss (a salad) | verb |
| 切 | qiē | to cut; to slice | verb |
| 剥 | bāo | to peel | verb |
Seasonings
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 盐 | yán | salt | noun |
| 糖 | táng | sugar | noun |
| 醋 | cù | vinegar | noun |
| 酱油 | jiàngyóu | soy sauce | noun |
| 油 | yóu | oil | noun |
| 胡椒 | hújiāo | pepper (black/white) | noun |
| 花椒 | huājiāo | Sichuan peppercorn | noun |
| 辣椒 | làjiāo | chili pepper | noun |
| 味精 | wèijīng | MSG (monosodium glutamate) | noun |
| 料酒 | liàojiǔ | cooking wine | noun |
| 姜 | jiāng | ginger | noun |
| 蒜 | suàn | garlic | noun |
Common Ingredients
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 肉 | ròu | meat | noun |
| 鸡肉 | jīròu | chicken (meat) | noun |
| 牛肉 | niúròu | beef | noun |
| 猪肉 | zhūròu | pork | noun |
| 鱼 | yú | fish | noun |
| 虾 | xiā | shrimp | noun |
| 豆腐 | dòufu | tofu | noun |
| 蔬菜 | shūcài | vegetables | noun |
| 西红柿 | xīhóngshì | tomato | noun |
| 土豆 | tǔdòu | potato | noun |
| 白菜 | báicài | Chinese cabbage; napa cabbage | noun |
| 米饭 | mǐfàn | cooked rice | noun |
| 面条 | miàntiáo | noodles | noun |
Recipe/Process
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 食谱 | shípǔ | recipe | noun |
| 材料 | cáiliào | ingredients; materials | noun |
| 步骤 | bùzhòu | step; procedure | noun |
| 火候 | huǒhou | heat level; degree of heating | noun |
| 翻炒 | fānchǎo | to stir and flip while frying | verb |
| 出锅 | chūguō | to take out of the wok; ready to serve | verb |
| 装盘 | zhuāngpán | to plate (a dish) | verb |
| 尝 | cháng | to taste; to try | verb |
Key Phrases
Essential expressions
先把油烧热。
Xiān bǎ yóu shāo rè.
First heat up the oil.
Giving instructions at the start of stir-frying.
大火炒三分钟。
Dà huǒ chǎo sān fēnzhōng.
Stir-fry on high heat for three minutes.
Describing heat level and cooking duration.
把菜洗干净。
Bǎ cài xǐ gānjìng.
Wash the vegetables clean.
Preparing ingredients before cooking.
加一勺盐。
Jiā yì sháo yán.
Add one spoonful of salt.
Adding seasoning while cooking.
水开了再下面条。
Shuǐ kāi le zài xià miàntiáo.
Wait until the water boils before adding the noodles.
Explaining when to add noodles to the pot.
小火慢炖一个小时。
Xiǎo huǒ màn dùn yí gè xiǎoshí.
Stew on low heat for one hour.
Giving instructions for a slow-cooked dish.
今天晚上我们自己做饭吧。
Jīntiān wǎnshang wǒmen zìjǐ zuòfàn ba.
Let's cook at home tonight.
Suggesting cooking instead of eating out.
你切菜，我来炒。
Nǐ qiēcài, wǒ lái chǎo.
You cut the vegetables, I'll do the stir-frying.
Dividing tasks in the kitchen.
这道菜需要用大火。
Zhè dào cài xūyào yòng dà huǒ.
This dish needs to be cooked on high heat.
Explaining the required heat level for a recipe.
别忘了放姜和蒜。
Bié wàng le fàng jiāng hé suàn.
Don't forget to add ginger and garlic.
Reminding someone about key seasonings.
等锅热了再放菜。
Děng guō rè le zài fàng cài.
Wait until the wok is hot before adding the vegetables.
Teaching proper stir-fry technique.
出锅前加一点香油。
Chūguō qián jiā yìdiǎn xiāngyóu.
Add a little sesame oil before taking it off the heat.
Final seasoning step before serving.
冰箱里还有什么菜？
Bīngxiāng lǐ hái yǒu shénme cài?
What vegetables are left in the fridge?
Checking available ingredients before cooking.
把鸡蛋打散。
Bǎ jīdàn dǎ sàn.
Beat the eggs.
Preparing eggs for cooking.
尝尝看，味道怎么样？
Chángchang kàn, wèidào zěnmeyàng?
Have a taste. How does it taste?
Asking someone to try a dish during or after cooking.
Dialogues
Practice conversations
Teaching a Recipe
A mother is teaching her daughter how to make tomato scrambled eggs (西红柿炒鸡蛋), one of the most iconic home-cooked Chinese dishes.
Speaker A
妈，我想学做西红柿炒鸡蛋，你教我好吗？
Speaker B
当然可以！先准备两个西红柿和三个鸡蛋。
Speaker A
好的，然后呢？
Speaker B
把鸡蛋打散，西红柿切成小块。锅里放油，油热了先炒鸡蛋。
Speaker A
鸡蛋炒到什么程度？
Speaker B
炒到刚刚凝固就盛出来。然后再放一点油，把西红柿炒软。
Speaker A
什么时候把鸡蛋放回去？
Speaker B
西红柿出汁以后，把鸡蛋放回去，加盐和一点糖，翻炒几下就可以出锅了。
Cultural note: 西红柿炒鸡蛋 (tomato scrambled eggs) is often considered the first dish every Chinese person learns to cook. It is affordable, simple, and appears on dinner tables across the country. The slight sweetness of the tomato combined with the savory egg makes it a comfort food for many Chinese people.
What's for Dinner?
A couple is deciding what to cook for dinner after getting home from work.
Speaker A
今天晚上吃什么？要不要出去吃？
Speaker B
外面吃太贵了，还是在家做吧。冰箱里还有一些菜。
Speaker A
有什么菜？我看看……有土豆、白菜，还有一块猪肉。
Speaker B
那就做一个土豆烧肉，再炒一个白菜，够了吧？
Speaker A
好啊！你负责切菜，我来炒。别忘了煮米饭。
Speaker B
没问题，米饭已经放进电饭锅了。
Cultural note: In Chinese households, cooking at home is far more common than eating out for daily meals. Couples and families often divide kitchen tasks naturally. The electric rice cooker (电饭锅) is a staple appliance in virtually every Chinese kitchen, as rice is the foundation of most meals.
Cultural Notes
Context that textbooks miss
Test Yourself
8 questions covering vocabulary, phrases, and dialogue comprehension.
Take the Cooking at Home Quiz (8 questions)→HSK Level Overlap
17 of 53 words appear in HSK levels
Further Reading
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