tou2 jau4土魷土鱿

Jyutpingtou2 jau4

Yaletóu yàuh

Definition

Dried squid.

colloquialfood

How it's used

Dried squid is a staple ingredient in Cantonese home cooking, prized for the intense umami depth it adds to soups and steamed dishes. It is almost always rehydrated in water before use, and the soaking liquid is often kept to enhance the flavor of the final dish. Unlike fresh squid, it is rarely eaten on its own as a snack but serves as a crucial flavor enhancer.

Measure word

zek3隻jek

Examples

nei1呢dou6度di1啲tou2土jau2魷hou2好hoeng1香，maai5買di1啲faan1返heoi3去zing1蒸juk6肉beng2餅laa1啦。

The dried squid here is very fragrant, let's buy some to steam with pork patty.

nei5你zam6浸zo2咗tou2土jau2魷mei6未aa4呀？zan6陣gaan1間jiu3要jung6用㗎。

Have you soaked the dried squid yet? We need to use it later.

Common phrases

tou2土jau2魷zing1蒸juk6肉beng2餅

steamed pork patty with dried squid

zam6浸tou2土jau2魷

to soak dried squid

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with 魷魚絲, which is a processed, ready-to-eat snack version of dried squid that is shredded and seasoned; 土魷 refers specifically to the whole, hard, sun-dried ingredient used for cooking.