Nappe: A certain consistency in a liquid that coats the back of a spoon.
Needling: Injecting fat or flavors into an ingredient to enhance moisture or flavor.
Nage: French for swimming; denotes dishes served in a light, aromatic poaching liquor.
Nam prik: Thai relishes made from spices, herbs and chilli, with ingredients such as dried shrimps, garlic, fish sauce, brown sugar, shallots, tamarind, lime juice and peanuts.
Namagashi: Soft cakes made with adzuki bean paste.
Nashi: Asian pear.
Nasi goreng: Indonesian fried rice with soy sauce, spring onion, garlic, and vegetables, often served with chicken or seafood.
Nasi lemak: A Malaysian dish of rice cooked in coconut milk, served with ikan biliis (crisp anchovies), boiled egg, peanuts, cucumber, sambal and aceh (pickles). It’s often accompanied by a curry or grilled fish or chicken.
Navarin: A French braise of lamb or mutton.
Nigella seeds: Small black seeds of the nigella plant with a mild peppery flavor often used as a seasoning.
Noble rot: AKA Botrytis cinerea – is a fungus that attacks grapes under certain climatic conditions (damp, foggy mornings followed by warm, sunny afternoons). The stuff looks revolting and shrivels the affected grapes to brown husks of their former selves, often with a dusting of greyish powder. It sounds as disgusting as it looks, but the end effect of botrytis infection is to concentrate the sugars in the infected grapes, which are then used to make some of the most highly prized sweet wines in the world. Semillon and sauvignon blanc blends, furmint and hárslevelű (the grapes that make up Hungary’s Tokaji wines), rieslings, gewürztraminers and pinot gris are the grape varieties most strongly associated with botrytis-affected wines.
Nonya cuisine: Chinese, Malaysian and Singaporean cuisine.
Nori: Paper-thin sheets of dried seaweed, ranging in colour from dark green to black. Nori has a sweet ocean taste and is generally used for wrapping sushi and rice balls however, when finely cut, it serves as a seasoning or garnish.
Nougat: Sweets made from nuts and sugar with honey and egg whites.
Nuoc mam: A Vietnamese fish sauce made from liquid drained from fermenting fish such as anchovies.
Navarin: A brown lamb stew.
New England Boiled Dinner: A dish consisting of simmered corned beef and simmered vegetables, served together.
Niçoise (nee-swahz): 1) Prepared in the style of Nice, France. 2) Garnished with or containing tomato concassée cooked with garlic.
Nouvelle Cuisine: A modern style of cooking that emphasizes lightness of sauces and seasonings, shortened cooking times, and new and sometimes startling combinations of foods.
