"The Eater's Guide to Chinese Characters": Chinese Food & Eating Translations

[Laksa]

Isn't it pretty to look at?

It's very pleasing to the eye. Now my tastebuds want to know if it's just as tasty.

The potato grouper or 石班 (Epinephelus tukula) is a somewhat uglier cousin, but makes a very nice steamed fish Cantonese style. Yum!

[hzrt8w]

I just stumbled upon an interesting website. The site translates English to Chinese. The accuracy is pretty good. It takes more than single words. I tried it some a phrase like "how do you do" and it did the translation pretty well.

http://chinese.primezero.com/

Benefit: now you can type in your favorite dish name in English and have it spit out the Chinese names to show to the waiters!

For example, I typed in "roast duck" and it came back with:

烤鴨, 明爐火鴨

I typed in "pork" and it came up with the translation along with some dish names.

白肉

plain boiled pork;

[ bái ròu ]

紅燒肉

red-cooked (pork) meat;

[ hóng shāo ròu ]

蹄

hoof; pork shoulder;

[ tí ]

肘

elbow; pork shoulder;

[ zhǒu ]

豬肉

pork;

[ zhū ròu ]

肉炒飯

Pork Fried Rice;

[ ròu chǎo fàn ]

肉撈麵

Pork Lo Mein;

[ ròu lāo miàn ]

甜酸肉

Sweet and Sour Pork;

[ tián sūan ròu ]

回鍋肉

Double Fried Pork;

[ huí guō ròu ]

蔥爆肉片

Sliced Pork with Green Onions;

[ cōng bào ròu piàn ]

….. the list goes on and one.

[Pan]

That's a fun site. Thanks!

[hzrt8w]

I played with that site a little more. Apparently the content is done by voluntary contributing editors. The software just look up the words in English and use some algorithms to do the translations. So some of these translations may be subjective (based on one individual's view)... translations that I don't agree with.

But... it's a free site... beggers can't be choosers...

If you have some wish to translate some food items from English to Chinese, it seems to work well.

[Transparent]

There are a few mistakes like 白糖糯 should be 白糖糕, but it's workable. Great find.

[jo-mel]

That's a fun place. I typed in the word "what" and got 65 explanations! LOL!

"Noodles" gave 16 anwers!

But I like the clear characters. Thanks for finding it.

[hzrt8w]

Found another helpful translation website: English to Chinese and Chinese to English, with Mandarin pinyin.

http://cdict.giga.net.tw/?q=

Just type in your English or Chinese characters at the input line.

[mudbug]

Any aid would be appreciated.

Click here for Chinese that needs translation.

Many thanks in advance!

[jhirshon]

I can't read a word of Pinyin, but it COULD be red-in-snow, as one of the plants is red - this is a plant that is first to sprout in the late winter and is pickled?

Just a stab in the dark - JH

[fiore]

It is xian cai (han cai in Sichuan dialect), three-coloured or purple amaranth. delicious stir-fried with garlic.

Fuchsia

[mudbug]

Thank you fiore.

So it's basically a common Chinese name for more than one vareity of amaranth. Correct?

Does the "purple amaranth" plant actually have purple foilage? or is it just the blooms as in this photo of purple amaranth?

Or does it have purple in the center of the foilage as in this edible amaranth?

Or is it red?

[Dejah]

Thank you fiore.

So it's basically a common Chinese name for more than one vareity of amaranth. Correct?

Does the "purple amaranth" plant actually have purple foilage? or is it just the blooms as in this photo of purple amaranth?

Or does it have purple in the center of the foilage as in this edible amaranth?

Or is it red?

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The ones I eat are green with the purple in the centre,

The red ones are plants that I use in my flower beds. Apparently, they are also edible, perhaps as young plants? In the past, people also collected the seeds for food.

[Ben Hong]

Edible amaranth is a very delicate, fragile veg. and it is best flash fried with hom ha of fu yu with a bit of garlic in the latter. *drool* slobber*

[mudbug]

And the color of the foliage Ben Hong?

You all realize you're going to have to post recipes for these dishes now... right?

[hzrt8w]

You all realize you're going to have to post recipes for these dishes now... right?  

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What recipe? Didn't Ben Sook just tell you? Stir-fry it with some garlic and hom ha (Cantonese salty shrimp paste) or fu yu (fermented bean curds).

BTW: In Cantonese dialect, amaranth is called "Yin Choy". Quite different from Mandarin of "Xian Cai".

Edited June 20, 2006 by hzrt8w (log)

[canucklehead]

We would have it chopped finely and then stir fried with garlic. Delicous - and the whole plate veggies would turn purple from the purple center.

[mudbug]

What recipe?  Didn't Ben Sook just tell you?  Stir-fry it with some garlic and hom ha (Cantonese salty shrimp paste) or fu yu (fermented bean curds). 

Yes and no. So that's 8 cups of minced amaranth with a head of sliced garlic and a quarter cup of shrimp paste or fermented bean curd.... right?

[hzrt8w]

Yes and no. So that's 8 cups of minced amaranth with a head of sliced garlic and a quarter cup of shrimp paste or fermented bean curd.... right?

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I have a feeling that you are just pulling my legs. But I'll bite.

1. Why mincing amaranth? Wouldn't it be better cooking (Chinese way) with the leaves just peeled off?

2. 1 head of garlic seems overly generous. Usually 3-4 cloves would be enough per cooking round.

3. The shrimp paste is extremely salty. 1/4 cup can last you 4-5 rounds of cooking. Use only 2-3 tsp for each round of cooking. Fermented bean curds... maybe 3-4 cubes. You adjust for your own taste.

[fiore]

Does the "purple amaranth" plant actually have purple foilage? or is it just the blooms as in this photo of purple amaranth?

Or does it have purple in the center of the foilage as in this edible amaranth[/

Or is it red?

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[jo-mel]

A couple of pictures: (scroll down to the picture of "Chinese spinach" on the first link)

http://www.foodsubs.com/Greenckg.html#Chinese%20spinach

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...6lr%3D%26sa%3DG

[Ben Hong]

And the color of the foliage Ben Hong?

You all realize you're going to have to post recipes for these dishes now... right? 

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Use your TASTE, young Skywalker. Know your ingredients and cook to taste and preference.

That is the reason why I never post recipes on anything, and admire the people who do.

[Ben Hong]

We would have it chopped finely and then stir fried with garlic.  Delicous - and the whole plate veggies would turn purple from the purple center.

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NO, NO, NO. You must be thinking of something else. Edible amaranth is very tender. If you finely chop it before cooking, it will turn to mush before your eyes. Leave the leaves whole as the stuff "disappears" on meeting heat, ie: loses its water content and shrinks. The ratio of raw to cooked volume is about 20 to 1 .

[Dejah]

We would have it chopped finely and then stir fried with garlic.  Delicous - and the whole plate veggies would turn purple from the purple center.

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NO, NO, NO. You must be thinking of something else. Edible amaranth is very tender. If you finely chop it before cooking, it will turn to mush before your eyes. Leave the leaves whole as the stuff "disappears" on meeting heat, ie: loses its water content and shrinks. The ratio of raw to cooked volume is about 20 to 1 .

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It's as Ben says, amaranth is very tender, even more so than baby spinach.

[mudbug]

jo-mel,

Thanks for the links.

I have a feeling that you are just pulling my legs.  But I'll bite.

Hi hzrt8w,

It's been a while since I've frequented the forum. I've always been the one to speak for all those lurkers reading threads who don't necessarily have much experience cooking and therefore I never assume anything. Specifics are always better in order to provide a base for newbies.

fiore,

Thank you for the detailed reply in response to the foliage.

Use your TASTE, young Skywalker. Know your ingredients and cook to taste and preference.

NO, NO, NO. You must be thinking of something else.

Ben Hong,

See? My point exactly...

Dejah,

More tender than the leaves of Ong Choy?

[Ben Hong]

Use your TASTE, young Skywalker. Know your ingredients and cook to taste and preference.

NO, NO, NO. You must be thinking of something else.

Ben Hong,

See? My point exactly...

Dejah,

More tender than the leaves of Ong Choy?

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