Kapag mainit na ang mantika, ilagay mo ang sibuyas at bawang sa kaldero.

Kapag introduces a time or condition meaning when or once in sentences like this.

• Kapag mainit na ang mantika = When the oil is already hot
• It often implies a condition that is expected to happen.

Compared with similar words:

• kapag — when/once, often for expected conditions
• kung — if, or whether
• pag — a shorter, very common conversational form of kapag

So in this sentence, kapag is natural because the instruction means: first wait for the oil to get hot, then do the next step.

Here, na means something like already / now.

So:

• mainit = hot
• mainit na = already hot / hot now

In cooking instructions, this is very common because it marks that the condition has been reached:

• Kapag mainit na ang mantika = When the oil is hot already

This na is not the linker na/ng. It is the particle meaning already, now.

Because mantika is the topic or subject of the clause mainit na ang mantika.

That part is basically:

• mainit = hot
• ang mantika = the oil

So the structure is like:

• The oil is hot
• literally: Hot is the oil

In Filipino, the marker ang is used for the topic/subject-like noun phrase. Since the oil is the thing being described as hot, ang mantika is correct.

Filipino often puts the predicate first.

So instead of English-style:

• The oil is already hot

Filipino commonly says:

• Mainit na ang mantika
• literally: Hot already the oil

This predicate-first order is very normal in Filipino, especially with adjectives and descriptive statements.

Ilagay is the imperative form of put/place.

It comes from the root lagay = put/place/set.

In this sentence:

• ilagay mo = put
• more literally: you put/place

This verb form focuses on the thing being put, which is why the next noun phrase is:

• ang sibuyas at bawang

So the structure is roughly:

• Ilagay mo ang X sa Y
• Put X in/on Y

Both can be grammatical, but they focus on slightly different things.

• Ilagay mo ang sibuyas at bawang sa kaldero
  = Put the onion and garlic in the pot
  This highlights the thing being put.

• Maglagay ka ng sibuyas at bawang sa kaldero
  = Put some onion and garlic in the pot / Add onion and garlic to the pot
  This uses a different verb focus and normally marks the thing added with ng.

So in recipe instructions, ilagay mo ang... is very common when the ingredients are treated as specific items to be added.

Here, mo means you.

More specifically, it is the unstressed form of ikaw in a non-subject position.

Compare:

• Ikaw = you
• mo = your / by you / you, depending on grammar

In ilagay mo, mo marks the person being told to do the action:

• ilagay mo = you put it / put it

So although mo can also mean your in other sentences, here it is not possessive.

Because with ilagay, the thing being placed is the focused noun phrase, and that noun phrase is marked by ang.

So:

• ang sibuyas at bawang = the onion and garlic

This is different from a mag- sentence, where you often get ng instead:

• Maglagay ka ng sibuyas at bawang = Add onion and garlic

But in this sentence, the verb ilagay takes ang for the thing being placed.

Because sibuyas at bawang is being treated as one coordinated noun phrase:

• ang sibuyas at bawang = the onion and garlic

You do not need to repeat ang before both nouns unless you want a different structure.

Natural form:

• ang sibuyas at bawang

Less natural for this sentence:

• ang sibuyas at ang bawang

The single ang covers the whole phrase.

At means and.

• sibuyas at bawang = onion and garlic

Yes, in casual speech, people often use tsaka instead of at:

• sibuyas tsaka bawang

But at is more neutral and standard, especially in writing and instructions like recipes.

Sa marks location, direction, or destination. Here it means into/in the pot.

So:

• sa kaldero = in/into the pot

With a verb like ilagay, sa marks where something is being placed.

Examples:

• Ilagay mo sa mesa = Put it on the table
• Ilagay mo sa kaldero = Put it in the pot

Kaldero usually means a cooking pot or metal pot.

In recipes, it refers to the vessel being used for cooking. It is not usually a frying pan.

A few related words:

• kaldero = pot
• kawali = frying pan / skillet
• kaserola = saucepan / casserole-type pot

So sa kaldero specifically suggests a pot rather than a pan.

Only partly. A very literal breakdown would be:

• Kapag = when
• mainit na = already hot
• ang mantika = the oil
• ilagay mo = put
• ang sibuyas at bawang = the onion and garlic
• sa kaldero = in/into the pot

So a literal version is:

• When already hot the oil, put the onion and garlic into the pot.

That sounds unnatural in English, but it helps show the Filipino structure.

Yes, it is a command or instruction.

In recipes and procedural directions, this form is normal and not rude. It sounds like standard instructional language.

If you wanted to make it more polite when speaking to someone, you could say:

• Ilagay mo — casual/neutral
• Ilagay ninyo — plural or polite
• Ilagay po ninyo — polite

But for recipe steps, ilagay mo is very common and natural.

Yes. That would also be natural.

Compare:

• Kapag mainit na ang mantika = When the oil is already hot
• Kapag uminit na ang mantika = When the oil has gotten hot / when the oil becomes hot

The difference is small:

• mainit na describes the state
• uminit na emphasizes the change into that state

In cooking instructions, both are possible. The original sentence focuses on the condition the oil is in before the next step.

In everyday Filipino, mantika usually refers to cooking oil or grease/fat used in cooking.

In a recipe sentence like this, learners should understand it as cooking oil unless the context says otherwise.

So:

• mainit na ang mantika = the cooking oil is hot

This is the normal interpretation in kitchen instructions.