Isaan-style Fruit Salad

Ingredients

 * 1) 1 green mango, peeled and julienned
 * 2) 1 each apple and crisp Asian pear, sliced
 * 3) a good handful of grapes, seeded if necessary
 * 4) 8 cherry tomatoes, halved if large
 * 5) big handful each of long beans in 2-in segments; roasted peanuts; dried shrimp; and Thai "globe" eggplants, quartered and soaked 1 hour in salt water, then rinsed  (eggplant is optional)
 * 6) 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
 * 7) 6 tiny Thai chilies
 * 8) 3 Tbsp fish sauce
 * 9) 1 Tbsp palm or coconut sugar (substitute dark or light brown sugar -- but moderate lime juice in this case)
 * 10) 3 limes, sliced vertically around the "core" into seedless quarters (alternately, juice them)

Directions
In a mortar and pestle pound the garlic and chilies and then add sugar, fish sauce, and limes (if using juice, add a bit now and a bit as you go along, to avoid splashing the dressing into your face!). Pound again. Add long beans and pound only to bruise, not to mash; follow with mangoes and tomatoes. At this point use one hand to mix with a large spoon while pounding with the other. Add fruits, pound and mix. Taste for salt-sweet-sour-hot, and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Place on a plate and sprinkle with peanuts and shrimp (alternately, pound a few of the shrimp and leave the rest for garnish).

Serves 2 quite generously. Delicious with freshly steamed jasmine rice -- or sticky rice -- to soak up the dressing.