Thai Nine Flavored Salad, "Thai Salad Dressing"

The salad dressing.

Stage 1 

Component 1 : prik nam si-iew wan 

Place a quarter cup each of freshly grated ginger, chopped shallots (small red or purple onions) and sliced jalapeno peppers in a 1 cup container, and fill with sweet dark soy sauce. Stir to make sure there aren't any air bubbles and top up if necesary. Seal and keep in the refridgerator for a week. 

Component 2 : prik nam pla 

Place a quarter cup each of chopped onions, sliced celery and julienned turnips in a 1 cup container. Fill with fish sauce. Stir briefly and top up if needed. Keep in the fridge for a week. 

Component 3: prik dong 

Place a qurter cup of sliced red Thai chile peppers in a half cup container and fill with white rice vinegar. Cover and keep in the fridge for a week. We also offer a ready-made prik dong. 

Stage 2 

A couple of hours before you are ready to eat the salad, take some tomatoes and drop them briefly in boiling water, then skin them. Discard the seeds, and coarsely chop them to yield one cup of chopped tomatoes. Combine all the ingredients, and add a quarter cup of palm sugar and a quarter cup of lime juice. 

Now, if you wish the dressing to have a smooth sauce like consistency, put it in a liquidizer and blend until smooth. If you want a more salsa like consistency, simply omit this step. 

Place the combined ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer until reduced to suit your tastes (you need about two cups of dressing). 

The salad.

You need a third of a cup each of the following ingredients. 

1: crispy deep fried catfish pieces 
2: chicken (preferably steamed, but any cooked chicken will do) 
3: pork (stir fried, but again any cooked pork will do) 
4: Raw green leaves, such as spinach or cabbage
5: bean sprouts 
6: mushrooms 
7: pineapple chunks (preferably fresh) 
8: mango 
9: orange segments 

Combine the salad ingredients, add enough dressing to coat thoroughly, and serve. 

Additional prepared dressing, prik nam siew wan, pak nam pla, and prik dong (above) as well as Thai chili powder and sugar complete the presentation. 

The dish can be served on its own "between meals", with sticky rice for lunch, or as part of a multi-course dinner.