Saya suka bau halia dan kunyit apabila ibu tumis bahan itu pada waktu petang.

Here bau is a noun, meaning smell, aroma, or scent.

So:

• Saya suka bau halia dan kunyit = I like the smell/aroma of ginger and turmeric

In Malay, many words can function in more than one way depending on context, but in this sentence bau is clearly a thing that is liked, so it is being used as a noun.

A few comparisons:

• bau = smell / odor / aroma
• berbau = to have a smell / to smell of something
• menghidu bau = to smell / detect a smell

Malay often forms noun relationships without a separate word like of.

So:

• bau halia dan kunyit literally looks like smell ginger and turmeric
• but it naturally means the smell of ginger and turmeric

This is very common in Malay:

• rumah saya = my house / literally house I
• warna baju itu = the color of that shirt
• bau kopi = the smell of coffee

So English often uses of, but Malay usually just places the nouns together.

Because suka can directly take what is liked.

So:

• Saya suka bau halia dan kunyit = I like the smell of ginger and turmeric

In modern everyday Malay, you normally just say:

• suka sesuatu = like something

The older or more formal pattern with akan exists in some contexts, but it is not needed here and would sound less natural in ordinary speech.

Natural examples:

• Saya suka kopi.
• Dia suka muzik.
• Kami suka suasana kampung.

Yes, in this sentence ibu is naturally understood as my mother.

Malay often leaves out possessive words like my when the relationship is obvious from context, especially with family terms:

• ibu = mother / mom
• ayah = father / dad
• kakak = older sister
• abang = older brother

Since the sentence begins with Saya and the speaker is talking about a personal experience, ibu is very naturally understood as my mother.

Both are possible:

• apabila ibu tumis... = when mother / when my mother sautés...
• apabila ibu saya tumis... = when my mother sautés...

The shorter version is very common and natural.

Good question. In Malay, the bare root verb is often used in informal or neutral contexts, especially in everyday speech and writing.

• tumis = sauté / stir-fry lightly
• menumis = to sauté

So:

• ibu tumis bahan itu is natural and common
• ibu menumis bahan itu is also grammatically correct and a bit more explicitly marked as a verb

Malay often allows this kind of simplification, especially with active verbs in conversation.

Compare:

• Saya makan nasi = I eat rice
• Dia baca buku = He/She reads a book
• Ibu tumis bahan itu = Mother sautés those ingredients

A learner should know that the meN- form is important, but in real Malay the shorter root form appears very often.

Tumis refers to cooking ingredients in a small amount of hot oil, usually while stirring. In English, it is often translated as:

• sauté
• stir-fry lightly
• sometimes just fry in simpler translations

In Malay cooking, menumis bahan often means frying aromatics such as:

• onion
• garlic
• ginger
• turmeric
• chili paste
• spices

So in this sentence, tumis creates the idea of those ingredients releasing their aroma while cooking.

Bahan itu means those ingredients or that ingredient/those ingredients, depending on context.

In Malay, demonstratives usually come after the noun:

• buku ini = this book
• rumah itu = that house
• bahan itu = those ingredients / that ingredient

So the order is:

• noun + ini/itu

not:

• ini buku
• itu bahan

unless you are using a different sentence structure for emphasis or identification.

In this sentence, bahan itu refers back to the ginger and turmeric already mentioned, so English may translate it as those ingredients.

Because Malay nouns usually do not have to show singular or plural explicitly.

So bahan itu can refer to:

• that ingredient
• those ingredients

The context tells you which meaning is intended.

Here, since halia dan kunyit are two things, bahan itu is understood as those ingredients.

Malay often leaves number unmarked unless it really needs to be made explicit. If you wanted to emphasize plurality, you could say:

• bahan-bahan itu = those ingredients

But in normal usage, bahan itu is already perfectly natural.

Yes, it can.

Apabila means when and is slightly more formal or written in tone than bila.

Possible alternatives:

• apabila = when
• bila = when, more conversational
• ketika = when/during, often a bit formal or literary
• semasa = while/during

So these are all possible with slight differences in style:

• Saya suka bau halia dan kunyit apabila ibu tumis bahan itu...
• Saya suka bau halia dan kunyit bila ibu tumis bahan itu...

The first sounds a little more polished or formal; the second sounds more everyday.

Yes, petang alone would also work.

• pada waktu petang = in the evening / during the late afternoon-evening period
• petang = evening / late afternoon

Malay often includes extra time words like pada waktu to sound fuller or slightly more formal.

So these are all possible:

• pada waktu petang
• pada petang itu
• petang-petang
• simply petang

Your sentence is a bit more descriptive and formal with pada waktu petang.

The sentence breaks down like this:

• Saya = I
• suka = like
• bau halia dan kunyit = the smell of ginger and turmeric
• apabila = when
• ibu tumis bahan itu = mother/my mother sautés those ingredients
• pada waktu petang = in the evening

So the structure is basically:

• Main clause: Saya suka bau halia dan kunyit
• Time clause: apabila ibu tumis bahan itu pada waktu petang

This is very natural in Malay: state the main feeling or action first, then add the situation in which it happens.

Yes. Malay is fairly flexible with time expressions.

The original sentence:

• Saya suka bau halia dan kunyit apabila ibu tumis bahan itu pada waktu petang.

Other natural possibilities include:

• Saya suka bau halia dan kunyit pada waktu petang apabila ibu tumis bahan itu.
• Pada waktu petang, saya suka bau halia dan kunyit apabila ibu tumis bahan itu.
• Apabila ibu tumis bahan itu pada waktu petang, saya suka bau halia dan kunyit.

These versions shift emphasis slightly, but the meaning stays very similar.

The original version is smooth because it first says what the speaker likes, then explains when that smell happens.

Malay does not have articles that work like English a/an and the.

So Malay often leaves definiteness to context.

Examples from the sentence:

• bau halia dan kunyit could mean the smell of ginger and turmeric
• ibu could mean mother / my mother
• bahan itu becomes definite because of itu, so it means that/those ingredient(s)

This is a major difference from English. In Malay, you usually do not need to add an article before every noun.

Yes. In Malay, ingredient nouns can appear directly without articles or classifiers in ordinary sentences.

So:

• halia = ginger
• kunyit = turmeric

and:

• bau halia dan kunyit = the smell of ginger and turmeric

This is completely natural. Malay often presents nouns in a plain form and lets the context do the work.

If you wanted to be more specific, you could add extra words:

• bau halia segar = the smell of fresh ginger
• bau serbuk kunyit = the smell of turmeric powder

But the basic sentence is already idiomatic.

It is understandable and generally natural, but it has a slightly careful, written feel because of choices like:

• apabila
• pada waktu petang

A more conversational version might be:

• Saya suka bau halia dan kunyit bila ibu tumis bahan itu waktu petang.
• Saya suka bau halia dan kunyit bila ibu menumisnya pada waktu petang.
• Saya suka bau halia dan kunyit bila mak tumis bahan itu petang-petang.

So the original is fine, especially for learning, but everyday spoken Malay may sound a little shorter and looser.