haam4 haa1鹹蝦咸虾
Jyutpinghaam4 haa1
Yalehàahm hā
Definition
Shrimp paste or shrimp sauce, a salty fermented condiment made from crushed shrimp.
colloquialfoodhome
How it's used
Refers specifically to the pungent, fermented paste made from small shrimp, which is a staple seasoning in Cantonese home cooking. It is distinct from the smoother, lighter shrimp paste often found in other regions, as the local variety is typically saltier and more intense in flavor. It is almost exclusively used as a savory base for stir-frying vegetables or steaming meats.
Measure word
zeon1樽jēunExamples
This plate of water spinach was stir-fried with a lot of shrimp sauce.
Do you still have any shrimp sauce at home?
Related words
Common phrases
stir-fried water spinach with shrimp sauce
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
