Grilling on the Rim : Grilling Glossary

Asian fish sauce--The brine from pickling fish, added in small quantities to stews and sauces. Also known as nuoc mam (Vietnam), nam pla (Thailand) and patis (Philippines).

* Candlenuts--A cousin of macadamia nuts, available in stores that stock a wide range of Indonesian products. Also known as kemiri .

* Coconut milk--Milky liquid squeezed from ground coconut meat. Can be made from fresh or dried (unsweetened) coconut, but is also available frozen or canned (avoid the sweetened coconut milk intended for pina coladas) in Asian markets and some supermarkets.

* Coriander root--The roots of green coriander (cilantro), available frozen in Thai groceries. As a substitute, combine roots from one bunch of cilantro with enough stems to make two tablespoons.

* Dashi--Japanese fish stock.

* Galangal--A cousin of ginger, available in four forms: ground (usually under the Indonesian or Malay names laos or lengkuas ), dried root and frozen or, occasionally, fresh root.

* Hot bean paste--A spicy seasoning paste, known in Korea as kochujang , sold in jars in Korean markets. Ingredients include soy beans, red pepper powder and ground glutinous rice.

* Kaffir lime--The leaf of a wild citrus tree of Southeast Asia, used in soups, curries and other dishes.

* Kecap--An Indonesian soy sauce. When labeled manis , it is sweet. Kecap asin is salty.

* Kencur--Another root related to ginger, usually available in ground form. Available in stores that stock a wide range of Indonesian products. Also known as Resurrection lily.

* Lemon grass--Available fresh in many supermarkets and most Asian markets.

* Mirin--Japanese sweetened rice wine.

* Roasted sesame seeds--Raw sesame seeds, roasted in a dry skillet. The roasted seeds are sold in jars in Korean markets.

* Samabal oelek--Very hot Indonesian red pepper paste.

* Shrimp paste--Used in Southeast Asia under the names terasi (Indonesia), belacan (Malaysia) and kapi (Thailand); available in well-stocked Asian markets.

* Tamarind pulp--The fleshy pod of the tamarind plant, peeled and packed in blocks of moist paste.