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.