This easy peanut sauce recipe has tasty Vietnamese-inspired flavors, and it's simple to make with just a few ingredients! It's really the best pairing with salad rolls possible.
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Fry the garlic for a few minutes, stirring often, until it's starting to get golden.
Add in the tomato paste. Cook for a minute or two, stirring often. The tomato paste should be sizzling, but take care not to burn the garlic.
Add in the water, sugar, hoisin sauce, and peanut butter. Increase the heat to high, and stir constantly until the peanut butter has been incorporated and the sauce is smooth. Let it bubble vigorously for a minute or two.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken more as it cools.
Give it a taste and season with salt if needed. Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature before transferring it to the fridge (either in the saucepan or in a different container). I prefer to chill the sauce before eating it, but you can eat it warm or room temperature if you prefer. It'll keep for a few days in the fridge.
Notes
Some brands of hoisin sauce and peanut butter are sweeter than others, so you can skip the sugar if you want a less sweet sauce.
Makes about 1.25 cups (20 tablespoons), nutrition info is for 2 tablespoons.