ming4 faan4明礬明矾
Jyutpingming4 faan4
Yalemìhng fàahn
Definition
Potassium alum; a white crystalline chemical substance used in baking powder and purification processes.
colloquialfoodhealth
How it's used
Alum is primarily discussed in the context of traditional food preparation, particularly in older recipes for deep-fried items like 油炸鬼. It is now largely avoided in modern cooking due to health concerns regarding aluminum intake. You will most often hear it mentioned when people are reminiscing about traditional snacks or questioning the safety of street food.
Measure word
di1啲dīExamples
In the past, people would add alum when making deep-fried dough sticks.
Does this food still have alum added to it?
Related words
Common phrases
add alum
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
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.
