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NAM PLA: See FISH'S GRAVY, FISH SAUCE.
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NAMEKO: Tiny wild mushrooms with slippery wet coating, available in cans in Japanese markets.
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NAPA CABBAGE: Sometimes called Chinese celery cabbage, it can be found in many supermarket produce sections and Oriental markets.
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NASEBERRY (sapodilla): Tropical fruit about 3 inches in diameter with a brown rough skin and a sweet brownish-purple pulp. Available in better fruit stores and Latin American markets in summer.
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NOPALITOS: The tender, green, fleshy, broad and flat paddles of the prickly-kear cactus. They are diced and packed in water (nopalitos tiernos al natural) or are sold as small spiced slices (nopalitos en vinagre). Latin American grocers and specialty stores sell them canned and bottled, in sizes ranging from 7¼ ounces to large tins of about 10 pounds. After opening, cover and store the contents in their own juice in the refrigerator. No substitute.
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NORI: Dried laver, a species of seaweed. Available in thin greenish-black sheets resembling carbon paper. When warmed, becomes crisper and more purplish in color. Used as garnish or to roll around rice or fish. Sold in packages in Japanese markets. Will keep for up to six months once opened.
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NUOC MAM: A salty extract of pickled fish widely used to season Vietnamese dishes. Similar to fish’s gravy. See FISH SAUCE.
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NUTMEG: Brown oval seed of the fruit of the nutmeg tree, which flourishes on Grenada. When ripe, the nutmeg is covered with a thin black shell surrounded by a red lacy network, or aril, which is mace. Covering both is a thick fleshy pericarp that can be used to make jelly or ice cream. Both nutmeg and mace are fragrant and slightly bitter, but mace has a more pronounced aroma and flavor. Mace is generally available ground; nutmeg is available whole or ground.
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