caai4 jyu4柴魚柴鱼
Jyutpingcaai4 jyu4
Yalechàaih yùh
Definition
Dried bonito or dried cod, used as a food ingredient.
colloquialfood
How it's used
Dried cod is a staple ingredient in Cantonese home cooking, prized for its ability to impart a deep, savory sweetness to soups and congee. It is almost always sold as a hard, wood-like strip, which explains why it is colloquially referred to as wood fish. You will rarely see it eaten on its own; it is strictly a flavoring agent used to build the base of a broth.
Measure word
tiu4條tìuhExamples
Adding dried cod to congee makes it very sweet.
Common phrases
congee with dried cod and peanuts
dried cod broth
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with fresh fish, as it is extremely tough and requires long boiling to soften and release its flavor. It is not meant to be stir-fried or steamed like regular fish.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
