Nuoc Leo (Peanut Sauce)

1 Clove garlic, sliced

1 tb Vegetable oil

1 sm Piece of pork liver (see

-note below), minced 1 tb Ground pork

1 ts Tomato paste

1/4 c Tuong

1/2 c Water

1 1/2 ts Peanut butter

1 tb Granulated sugar

1 1/2 tb Sesame seeds

10 Roasted peanuts, coarsely

-chopped [I use unsalted -Planter's roasted Peanuts.] Thin strips of hot pepper -for garnish I prefer the following version. It's a bit more complex, but one of the ingredients might be a bit hard to find++tuong, a kind of soy bean paste used in Vietnam. A good Vietnamese market will have it. Using medium heat, fry the garlic in the oil. Add the liver and pork. Lower the heat and add the tomato paste; stir and add the tuong. Stir again and add the water and peanut butter. Raise the heat to medium and add the sugar. Boil for 1 minute and transfer to a bowl. Add the sesame seeds to a medium-hot frying pan, stirring constantly until browned. This should take 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sesame seeds to the nuoc leo, along with the chopped peanuts. The sauce can be garnished with thin strips of hot pepper. NOTE: Beef or chicken liver can be substituted, but pork liver is preferred. The piece should be the size of a large chicken liver. From "The Classic Cuisine of Vietnam", Bach Ngo and Gloria Zimmerman, Barron's, 1979. Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; March 27 1991.