Grandma's Spicy Recipe
A free A2-level English story for language learners, readable online in 5 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
Ariel cooks her grandmother's stew for a family lunch but adds far too much chili pepper.
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Ariel wanted to cook for the whole family. She chose her grandmother's chicken stew. She had the recipe on an old card in her grandmother's handwriting.
The card was short. It said: "Onions, chicken, tomatoes, 1 spoon chili pepper, salt." Ariel read it twice. Then she took a big spoon from the drawer. She added the chili pepper.
At noon, the family sat down at the table. There were eight people. Ariel put the pot in the middle and smiled.
Her uncle took the first bite. His face turned red. He drank three glasses of water. Her cousin started to cry. Her father said, "It is… very strong."
Ariel tried it herself. Her eyes filled with tears. "Oh no," she said. "I made it too hot."
Her grandmother tasted a small bit. She stopped. Then she began to laugh so hard that she coughed.
"What is funny?" Ariel asked.
"My card says one spoon," her grandmother said. "I always mean the small one. The tea spoon!"
Then she went into the kitchen. "Bring me yogurt and make some rice," she said.
She stirred the yogurt into the stew. It became soft and pink. They served it over the rice. Now it was mild and warm, and everyone ate two plates.
After lunch, Ariel took a pen. On the old card, she wrote "small" before "spoon."
