你也许吃过泡饭，但是你肯定没有吃过我说的这种泡饭。
Nǐ yěxǔ chīguò pàofàn, dànshì nǐ kěndìng méiyǒu chīguò wǒ shuō de zhè zhǒng pàofàn.
吃过 – chī guò – to have eaten
肯定 – kěndìng – definitely
你 – nǐ – you
也许 – yěxǔ – may
泡饭 – pàofàn – soaked rice
没有 – méiyǒu – not have
说 – shuō – to say
这种 – zhè zhǒng – this kind
泡饭 – pàofàn – soaked rice

You may have eaten soaked rice, but you definitely haven’t eaten the kind of soaked rice I’m talking about.

一般泡饭的制作都很简单，就是一碗饭，然后把汤往上面一浇。这样米饭就会像泡澡一样，在一碗汤里漂浮起来。
Yìbān pàofàn de zhìzuò dōu hěn jiǎndān, jiùshì yì wǎn fàn, ránhòu bǎ tāng wǎng shàngmiàn yì jiāo. Zhèyàng mǐfàn jiù huì xiàng pào zǎo yīyàng, zài yì wǎn tāng lǐ piāofú qǐlái.
制作 – zhìzuò – to make, production
简单 – jiǎndān – simple
碗 – wǎn – bowl
然后 – ránhòu – then
米饭 – mǐfàn – rice
像 – xiàng – like
泡澡 – pào zǎo – to take a bath
漂浮 – piāofú – to float

The preparation of usual soaked rice is quite simple, just a bowl of rice, then pour soup over it. This way, the rice will float in the soup like taking a bath.

这时你就可以拿一个勺子，大口大口地舀着吃了。特别是天冷的时候，一碗泡饭吃下去，全身都暖烘烘的。
Zhè shí nǐ jiù kěyǐ ná yī gè sháozi, dà kǒu dà kǒu de zhǎo zhe chī le. Tèbié shì tiānlěng de shíhòu, yì wǎn pàofàn chī xiàqù, quánshēn dōu nuǎn hōng hōng de.
勺子 – sháozi – spoon
大口 – dà kǒu – big mouthful
特别 – tèbié – especially
天冷 – tiānlěng – cold weather
时候 – shíhòu – time
全身 – quánshēn – whole body
暖 – nuǎn – warm

At this moment, you can take a spoon and eat it in big mouthfuls. Especially when it’s cold, a bowl of soaked rice will warm your whole body.

但是我说的这种泡饭不是这样的。我说的这种泡饭是小时候我妈常常做的，是当早饭吃的。
Dànshì wǒ shuō de zhè zhǒng pàofàn bù shì zhèyàng de. Wǒ shuō de zhè zhǒng pàofàn shì xiǎoshíhòu wǒ māmā chángcháng zuò de, shì dāng zǎofàn chī de.
常常 – chángcháng – often
早饭 – zǎofàn – breakfast
小时候 – xiǎoshíhòu – childhood
做 – zuò – to make
吃 – chī – to eat

But the soaked rice I’m talking about isn’t like that. The kind I’m talking about is the one my mom used to make when I was a child for breakfast.

早饭？你肯定很奇怪，很少有人早饭吃泡饭吧？
Zǎofàn? Nǐ kěndìng hěn qíguài, hěn shǎo yǒu rén zǎofàn chī pàofàn ba?
奇怪 – qíguài – strange
很少 – hěn shǎo – very few
早饭 – zǎofàn – breakfast

Breakfast? You must think it’s strange. Very few people eat soaked rice for breakfast, right?

是的。这是因为前一天晚饭的米饭可能没吃完，我妈会留着，第二天早上可以用来做泡饭。我妈的泡饭不是简单的把饭泡在汤里。
Shì de. Zhè shì yīnwèi qián yī tiān wǎnfàn de mǐfàn kěnéng méi chī wán, wǒ māmā huì liú zhe, dì èr tiān zǎoshàng kěyǐ yòng lái zuò pàofàn. Wǒ māmā de pàofàn bù shì jiǎndān de bǎ fàn pào zài tāng lǐ.
晚饭 – wǎnfàn – dinner
米饭 – mǐfàn – rice
可能 – kěnéng – maybe
没 – méi – not
吃完 – chī wán – finish eating
留着 – liú zhe – to keep
做 – zuò – to make

Yes. This is because the rice from the previous day’s dinner might not have been finished, so my mom would keep it and use it for soaked rice the next morning. My mom’s soaked rice wasn’t just rice soaked in soup.

首先，她会把灶台的火烧起来，接着用勺子刮起一点点白色的猪油，放入锅里，等到油有一点点冒烟了，她会把之前切好的白菜倒进锅里，用铲子翻炒，之后再放一些盐，一些味精，一些酱油调味，等到菜炒得差不多熟了，她才会把一碗剩饭倒入锅里，把饭和菜混合在一起，最后再倒入热水，没过多久，整个锅里就会开始咕嘟咕嘟地冒热气，饭很快就会吸满汤汁，变得饱满、软糯。
Shǒuxiān, tā huì bǎ zhàotái de huǒ shāo qǐlái, jiēzhe yòng sháozi guā qǐ yīdiǎn diǎn báisè de zhū yóu, fàng rù guō lǐ, děng dào yóu yǒu yīdiǎn diǎn mào yān le, tā huì bǎ zhīqián qiē hǎo de báicài dào jìn guō lǐ, yòng chǎnzi fān chǎo, zhīhòu zài fàng yīxiē yán, yīxiē wèi jīng, yīxiē jiàng yóu tiáowèi, děng dào cài chǎo dé chà bù duō shú le, tā cái huì bǎ yī wǎn shèngfàn dào rù guō lǐ, bǎ fàn hé cài hùnhé zài yīqǐ, zuìhòu zài dào rù rè shuǐ, méi guò duōjiǔ, zhěnggè guō lǐ jiù huì kāishǐ gūdū gūdū de mào rèqì, fàn hěn kuài jiù huì xī mǎn tāng zhī, biàn dé bǎomǎn, ruǎn nuò.
灶台 – zhàotái – stove
勺子 – sháozi – spoon
刮 – guā – to scrape
白色 – báisè – white
猪油 – zhū yóu – lard
锅 – guō – pot
冒烟 – mào yān – to smoke
切 – qiē – to cut
白菜 – báicài – cabbage
倒 – dào – to pour
铲子 – chǎnzi – spatula
翻炒 – fānchǎo – to stir-fry
盐 – yán – salt
味精 – wèi jīng – MSG
酱油 – jiàng yóu – soy sauce
调味 – tiáo wèi – to season
熟 – shú – cooked
剩饭 – shèng fàn – leftover rice
混合 – hùn hé – to mix
热水 – rè shuǐ – hot water
咕嘟 – gūdū – bubbling
吸 – xī – to absorb
饱满 – bǎomǎn – full
软糯 – ruǎn nuò – soft and sticky

First, she would start the fire on the stove, then use a spoon to scrape a little white lard and put it into the pot. After the oil starts to smoke, she would add the chopped cabbage into the pot and stir-fry it with a spatula. Then, she would add some salt, MSG, and soy sauce to season it. When the cabbage is almost cooked, she would add a bowl of leftover rice into the pot and mix the rice and vegetables together. Finally, she would pour in some hot water, and soon the whole pot would start bubbling. The rice quickly absorbs the soup and becomes full and soft.

等到你看到汤汁快被米粒吸没了，你就可以把泡饭盛出来了，家里顿时香气四溢，小时候的我这时肚子就会开始咕咕叫了。
Děng dào nǐ kàn dào tāng zhī kuài bèi mǐ lì xī méi le, nǐ jiù kěyǐ bǎ pàofàn shèng chūlái le, jiālǐ dùnshí xiāngqì sì yì, xiǎoshíhòu de wǒ zhè shí dùzi jiù huì kāishǐ gū gū jiào le.
汤汁 – tāng zhī – soup
米粒 – mǐ lì – rice grain
盛 – shèng – to serve
顿时 – dùnshí – immediately
香气 – xiāngqì – fragrance
四溢 – sì yì – to spread in all directions
肚子 – dùzi – stomach
叫 – jiào – to call

When you see the soup being almost completely absorbed by the rice, you can serve the soaked rice. The fragrance fills the house, and my stomach would start growling just like when I was a child.

长大以后，我已经很久没吃过我妈做的泡饭了。有一天晚上米饭蒸多了，没吃完，我就用碗盛起来，用保鲜膜盖好，放到冰箱里。
Zhǎngdà yǐhòu, wǒ yǐjīng hěn jiǔ méi chī guò wǒ māmā zuò de pàofàn le. Yǒu yītiān wǎnshàng mǐfàn zhēng duō le, méi chī wán, wǒ jiù yòng wǎn shèng qǐlái, yòng bǎo xiān mó gài hǎo, fàng dào bīngxiāng lǐ.
保鲜膜 – bǎo xiān mó – plastic wrap
冰箱 – bīngxiāng – refrigerator

After I grew up, I hadn’t eaten my mom’s soaked rice for a long time. One evening, I made too much rice and couldn’t finish it, so I put the leftovers in a bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and put it in the refrigerator.

第二天早上，天还没亮，我就开始给自己切菜做泡饭。因为我用的是煤气灶，所以没过多久就做好了。
Dì èr tiān zǎoshàng, tiān hái méi liàng, wǒ jiù kāishǐ gěi zìjǐ qiē cài zuò pàofàn. Yīnwèi wǒ yòng de shì méiqì zào, suǒyǐ méi guò duōjiǔ jiù zuò hǎo le.
切 – qiē – to cut
煤气灶 – méiqì zào – gas stove

The next morning, before the sun rose, I began cutting vegetables and making soaked rice for myself. Because I used a gas stove, it didn’t take long to finish.

一大碗泡饭啊，我最后竟然吃的干干净净！
Yī dà wǎn pàofàn a, wǒ zuìhòu jìngrán chī de gān gān jìng jìng!
干净 – gān jìng – clean

A big bowl of soaked rice, and in the end, I ate it all clean!

在那一瞬间，我突然想家了，今年过年回去，终于又可以吃上妈妈做的饭了。
Zài nà yī shùnjiān, wǒ túrán xiǎng jiā le, jīnnián guònián huí qù, zhōngyú yòu kěyǐ chī shàng māmā zuò de fàn le.
瞬间 – shùnjiān – moment
想家 – xiǎng jiā – to miss home
过年 – guònián – New Year

In that moment, I suddenly missed home. This year, when I return for the New Year, I’ll finally be able to eat the food my mom makes again.