xáo
Definition
- Verb:
- To parboil or simmer meat with aromatic herbs: The primary culinary meaning refers to a cooking method where meat, typically beef, is briefly boiled or simmered in water with lemongrass or other fragrant herbs, often as a preliminary step.
- To rummage through; to mess up; to turn upside down: To search through something in a disorderly manner, causing a mess, or to turn things over chaotically.
Usage Examples
- Verb (Cooking):
- Mẹ tôi xáo thịt bò với sả trước khi nấu. (My mother parboils beef with lemongrass before cooking it further.)
- Công thức này yêu cầu phải xáo măng. (This recipe requires parboiling the bamboo shoots with meat.)
- Verb (Rummaging):
- Ai đã xáo giấy tờ trên bàn của tôi thế này? (Who rummaged through and messed up the papers on my desk like this?)
- Đừng xáo đống quần áo lên, tôi vừa gấp xong. (Don't mess up that pile of clothes; I just finished folding them.)
Advanced Usage
- The cooking term "xáo" is specific and often appears in traditional Vietnamese recipes. It is not a general term for "cook" but denotes this specific preparatory technique.
- In its "rummage" sense, it implies a careless, disruptive, or frantic search, not an organized one.
Variants and Related Words
- Xáo trộn (v): to mix up, to stir up, to cause disorder or disruption.
- Tin đồn đó đã xáo trộn cả cộng đồng. (That rumor stirred up the whole community.)
- Xào (v): a distinct verb meaning "to stir-fry." Do not confuse with "xáo."
- Cô ấy xào rau củ. (She stir-fries vegetables.)
Synonyms
- Parboil / Blanch: (for cooking).
- Rummage / Ransack: (for searching disorderly).
- Disarrange / Mess up: (for making untidy).
Related Idioms
- Xáo nước xáo cái: to cause a big fuss or commotion; to stir up trouble.
- Chuyện nhỏ thôi, đừng xáo nước xáo cái lên. (It's a small matter; don't make a big fuss about it.)