From the NY Times. This recipe looks to approximate the addicting fruit salads Chef Parnass serves at Talat Market.
Ingredients:
For the Dressing: 4 medium garlic cloves 2 – 12 fresh Thai bird’s-eye chiles (or part of a jalapeño), stems trimmed. 3 tablespoons palm sugar (or light brown sugar) ¼ cup fish sauce 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice For the Salad: ½ cup homemade or store-bought fried shallots 3 pounds watermelon, rind removed, cut into 1-inch chunks ½ small red onion 1 small cucumber, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 -inch slices Large handful of roughly chopped mint leaves Large handful of roughly chopped cilantro leaves ½ cup roughly crushed or chopped roasted peanuts
Preparation:
Step 1: Prepare the dressing. Combine garlic, chiles and sugar in the bowl of a large mortar and pestle. Pound into a fine paste. Add fish sauce and stir with the pestle until the sugar is fully dissolved. Add the lime juice and stir with the pestle to incorporate. Alternatively, you can combine the garlic, chiles, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice in a blender. Blend until the garlic and chiles are finely chopped, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
Step 2: Prepare the salad. If using store-bought shallots, toast them dry in a large skillet over medium-low heat until deep caramel brown and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Season generously with salt and transfer to a bowl.
Step 3: Combine watermelon, onion, cucumber, mint, cilantro, peanuts, half of the fried shallots and ¼ cup dressing in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Taste and add more dressing as desired. (Reserve excess dressing in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.) Transfer salad to a serving platter and sprinkle with remaining shallots. Serve.