daam6 coi3淡菜
Jyutpingdaam6 coi3
Yaledaahm choi
Definition
Dried mussel; a food ingredient made by sun-drying green mussels.
colloquialfood
How it's used
Dried mussels are a staple in traditional Cantonese soups, valued for the deep umami flavor they impart during long simmering. While they are technically dried mussels, they are distinct from fresh mussels, which are almost exclusively referred to as 青口 in local markets. Using them in a soup base is a classic way to elevate the natural sweetness of ingredients like pork bones or carrots.
Measure word
gan1斤gānExamples
These dried mussels make the soup taste very sweet.
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with fresh mussels, which are called 青口. If you ask for 淡菜 at a wet market, the vendor will specifically provide the dried, preserved version, not the fresh shellfish.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
