Cortando nopalitos para el guiso de mi viejita

What does “nopalitos” mean in Spanish?

In this clip a man is out cutting fresh nopalitos to bring home for a stew he is making for his wife. Nopal is the flat green cactus paddle used in Mexican cooking. Nopalitos are the small, tender, young ones — softer and better for the pan. He explains that the ones he has at home are already too ripe, so he came out to find better ones.

He says: “voy a cortar unos nopalitos aquí que me encontré” — “I’m going to cut some nopalitos here that I found.” Nopal is the cactus paddle; nopalitos are the small, tender ones used in cooking. - “Me gustan los nopalitos con huevo.” — “I like cactus paddles with egg.” - “Vamos a hacer un guiso de nopalitos.” — “Let’s make a cactus-paddle stew.” - “Limpia los nopalitos antes de cocinarlos.” — “Clean the cactus paddles before cooking them.” Usage note: You will mostly meet this word in Mexican cooking. He also uses “chilito colorado” and “chilito verde” — little red chili and little green chili — as the two ways he might season the dish.