1/4 c Roasted peanuts, ground
1 tb Peanut oil
2 cl Garlic, minced
1 ts Chili paste (tuong ot tuoi)
2 tb Tomato paste
1/2 c Chicken broth or water
1/2 ts Sugar
1 tb Peanut butter
1/4 c Hoisin sauce
1 Fresh red chile pepper,
-seeded and thinly sliced
This peanut sauce is somewhat different from a Thai peanut sauce.
It's not nearly as sweet and has no coconut milk in it. Most
Vietnamese restaurants I've eaten at serve this along with Nuoc Cham
and Carrot salad with Cha Gio type dishes.
Prepare the roasted peanuts. Set aside. [I use unsalted Planter's
roasted peanuts. S.C.]
Heat the oil in a small saucepan. When the oil is hot add the garlic
chili paste and tomato paste. Fry until the garlic is golden brown,
about 30 seconds. Add the broth, sugar, peanut butter and hoisin
sauce and whisk to dissolve the peanut butter. Bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
Divide the sauce among individual dipping bowls and garnish with the
ground peanuts and slice chile. Serve warm or at room temperature.
[Be careful when frying the chili paste. Getting a lungful of the
smoke is NO fun. S.C.]
From "The Foods of Vietnam" by Nicole Rauthier. Stewart, Tabori &
Chang. 1989.
