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Learn Chinese with a mapo tofu video.

Listen to a cooking video by 美食作家王刚, follow sample Chinese captions with pinyin and English, and practise speaking one line at a time.

Open the practice player →

Free preview · No account · Original video audio

A wok of mapo tofu cooking
Video by 美食作家王刚, via Wikimedia Commons.

About these captions: The 24 practice lines cover approximately 0:00–1:12 of a 2:58 video. They are machine-derived drafts; wording, pinyin, translations and timing have not been checked by listening. Listen critically and do not rely on the timings as exact.

Practise one line at a time

  1. Open the player and listen to the original video.
  2. Choose a caption, then select Listen & repeat to pause for your turn.
  3. Use Tools to hide pinyin or English, record your voice to listen back, or save a line in your browser for review.

What is in the sample?

The excerpt follows the early steps of a mapo tofu recipe, from introducing the dish to preparing and seasoning ingredients. It offers a glimpse of Mandarin used in a cooking video.

The rest of the video does not yet have practice captions in this preview. You can still watch the full video in the player.

Read the 24 draft sample lines

Approximate timestamps · Chinese, pinyin and English are drafts.

  1. 哈喽大家好我是王刚Hālóu dàjiā hǎo, wǒ shì Wáng Gāng.Hello everyone, I am Wang Gang.
  2. 今天我要教大家做麻婆豆腐的家常做法Jīntiān wǒ yào jiāo dàjiā zuò mápó dòufu de jiācháng zuòfǎ.Today I will show you a home-style way to make mapo tofu.
  3. 首先我们选择嫩豆腐400克Shǒuxiān wǒmen xuǎnzé nèn dòufu sìbǎi kè.First, choose 400 grams of soft tofu.
  4. 然后把豆腐切成1.2厘米左右的小正方形Ránhòu bǎ dòufu qiē chéng yī diǎn èr límǐ zuǒyòu de xiǎo zhèngfāngxíng.Then cut the tofu into small cubes about 1.2 centimetres across.
  5. 首先在豆腐碗中加入适量的盐Shǒuxiān zài dòufu wǎn zhōng jiārù shìliàng de yán.First, add an appropriate amount of salt to the bowl of tofu.
  6. 碗中倒入90度的开水Wǎn zhōng dàorù jiǔshí dù de kāishuǐ.Pour 90°C hot water into the bowl.
  7. 将豆腐浸泡5分钟备用Jiāng dòufu jìnpào wǔ fēnzhōng bèiyòng.Soak the tofu for five minutes and set it aside.
  8. 豆腐用盐开水浸泡之后可以有效去除豆腥味Dòufu yòng yán kāishuǐ jìnpào zhīhòu kěyǐ yǒuxiào qùchú dòuxīngwèi.Soaking tofu in salted hot water can help remove its beany smell.
  9. 去除腥味的同时还能使豆腐更加的滑嫩Qùchú xīngwèi de tóngshí hái néng shǐ dòufu gèngjiā de huánèn.It also makes the tofu smoother and more tender.
  10. 首先我们选择鲜牛肉50克Shǒuxiān wǒmen xuǎnzé xiān niúròu wǔshí kè.First, choose 50 grams of fresh beef.
  11. 然后把牛肉切成大小均匀的牛肉粒备用Ránhòu bǎ niúròu qiē chéng dàxiǎo jūnyún de niúròu lì bèiyòng.Then dice the beef evenly and set it aside.
  12. 最好选择带一点点肥油的牛肉Zuìhǎo xuǎnzé dài yìdiǎndiǎn féiyóu de niúròu.It is best to choose beef with a little fat.
  13. 这样的牛肉末炒出来才不会发柴Zhèyàng de niúròumò chǎo chūlái cái bú huì fāchái.That keeps the cooked minced beef from turning dry.
  14. 吃起来才会更香Chī qǐlái cái huì gèng xiāng.It will taste more fragrant, too.
  15. 麻婆豆腐的配料有切好的牛肉末Mápó dòufu de pèiliào yǒu qiē hǎo de niúròumò.The ingredients for mapo tofu include the diced beef.
  16. 蒜苗、小葱、郫县豆瓣酱、永川豆豉Suànmiáo, xiǎocōng, Píxiàn dòubànjiàng, Yǒngchuān dòuchǐ.Garlic shoots, scallions, Pixian chili bean paste and Yongchuan fermented black beans.
  17. 姜末、蒜末、辣椒面和泡好的豆腐Jiāngmò, suànmò, làjiāomiàn hé pào hǎo de dòufu.Minced ginger, minced garlic, chili powder and the soaked tofu.
  18. 首先我们把泡好的豆腐沥干水分备用Shǒuxiān wǒmen bǎ pào hǎo de dòufu lìgān shuǐfèn bèiyòng.First, drain the soaked tofu and set it aside.
  19. 锅烧热以后加入适量的油滑锅Guō shāorè yǐhòu jiārù shìliàng de yóu huáguō.Once the wok is hot, add enough oil to coat it.
  20. 滑好锅以后将热油倒出Huá hǎo guō yǐhòu jiāng rè yóu dàochū.Once the wok is coated, pour out the hot oil.
  21. 锅内加入适量的底油烧至4成热Guō nèi jiārù shìliàng de dǐyóu shāo zhì sì chéng rè.Add some oil to the wok and heat it until moderately hot.
  22. 然后牛肉粒下锅小火爆炒一分钟Ránhòu niúròulì xià guō xiǎohuǒ bàochǎo yì fēnzhōng.Add the diced beef and stir-fry over low heat for one minute.
  23. 一分钟以后加入适量的青花椒Yì fēnzhōng yǐhòu jiārù shìliàng de qīng huājiāo.After one minute, add some green Sichuan peppercorns.
  24. 继续开小火煸炒一分钟Jìxù kāi xiǎohuǒ biānchǎo yì fēnzhōng.Continue to stir-fry over low heat for one minute.

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Video: 厨师长教你川菜麻婆豆腐的正宗做法，好吃得根本停不下来 by 美食作家王刚, Wikimedia Commons source and credits, CC BY 3.0. The cover is a resized video still supplied by Wikimedia Commons. Practice lines are adapted from the video's on-screen text using machine OCR and automatic speech recognition; pinyin and English were added. The wording and timing still need listening verification.