It's time to learn some useful Chinese vocabulary for cooking!

Preparation

• peel (剥– bō)
• cut (切– qiè)
• slice (切片– qiē piàn)
• chop (斩– zhǎn)
• mince (剁碎– duò suì)

Without Heat

• dressing (拌– bàn)
• marinating/pickling (腌– yān)
• jellifying (冻– dòng

With Heat

• boil (煮– zhǔ)
• steam (蒸– zhēng)
• pan-fry (煎– jiān)
• stir-fry (炒– chǎo)
• deep fry (炸– zhà)
• roast (烤– kǎo)
• bake (烘– hōng)
• bake in foil or paper (焗– jú)
• braise (烧– shāo)
• smoke (熏– xūn)
• scalding (烫– tàng)

Uniquely Chinese Methods

red-cooking (红烧– hóngshāo) or (卤– lǔ): This method involves cooking over prolonged heat with the ingredients completely immersed in a soy sauce based broth. This style of cooking is commonly used for beef and eggs.

gradual simmering/double boil (炖– dùn): The ingredients are submerged in water in a ceramic casserole, which is then placed in water in a bigger pot to steam for many hours. Delicacies such as bird's nest soup are cooked in this fashion.

high heat stir-fry (爆– bào): This quick method uses a lot of oil, sauce, or broth to quickly stir-fry the ingredients at very high heat in a wok. It's meant to deliver a crispy texture without overcooking.

stewing (焖– mèn): This is different from the Western style of stewing – ingredients are stir-fried until partially cooked and then transferred to a clay pot to be slow-cooked. Commonly used for meat and fish.

hui (烩– huì): This is also referred to as braising, but it's a bit different as it is thickened with a starchy gravy at the end.