Today’s theme of the day is Chinese menus. Let’s look at words on a Chinese menu that will help you understand what you will be eating.
炒 (chǎo) Stir-fried
The first word is 炒 (chǎo) which means ‘stir-fried’. If you see this word, it will mean that the food is stir-fried in a wok. For example, you can have 炒饭 (chǎo fàn) fried rice or 炒面 (chǎo miàn) fried noodles.
烤 (kǎo) Roasted (Dry)
Another word you may see on a Chinese menu is 烤 (kǎo) which means roasted. This type of roast is a dry roast, so without adding much sauce. An example of an item you will see on a Chinese menu is 北京烤鸭 (běijīng kǎoyā) Peking roast duck.
烧 (shāo) Roasted / Braised
Finally, you may see the word 烧 (shāo) which means to roast or braise. This means that the food is normally exposed to wet heat, so maybe something with sauce. A popular and delicious dish is 红烧肉 (hóngshāo ròu) Red braised pork belly.