Peanut Dipping Sauce

Throughout Southeast Asia, there are many recipes for peanut sauce, but the Vietnamese version is the lightest one I have ever tasted. It seems that you can have the authentic one only in Vietnam or at home. Most of the time in Vietnamese restaurants, peanut butter is mixed with hoisin sauce and some ground peanuts are tossed in. The result is very pasty and not very refined. This peanut sauce is true to the original in Vietnam, being fluid and light. The secret is the chicken stock, which lightens the sauce and allows you to taste all the ingredients.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large garlic clove peeled and minced
1 or more bird's eye or Thai chilies seeded and minced
3 oz unsalted roasted peanuts 1 tablespoon chopped, the rest finely ground (not into butter)
1 cup chicken stock
⅓ cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce (nuoc mam)
1 tablespoon sugar

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Stir-fry the garlic and chilies until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Add the ground peanuts and stir until they give up some of their natural oil, about 5 minutes more.
Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, and sugar, and bring just to a boil over medium heat.
Reduce the heat to low and cook until the oil from the peanuts starts surfacing, about 15 minutes.
Transfer sauce to a heatproof serving bowl, garnish with chopped peanuts, and serve.