Thai peanut sauce recipe...Thai Chili oil or Thai Chili paste?

I have tried a few different recipes of peanut sauce and none of them have the color and texture I see in Thai restaurants. The difference I see in the Thai restaurants is the peanut sauce has some chili oil that separates from the rest of the sauce and the color is a bit darker than the outcome of the recipes I have tried. I was wondering if Peanut Sauce is supposed to have either Thai Chili oil or maybe Thai Chili paste in it?Thai peanut sauce recipe...Thai Chili oil or Thai Chili paste?
THAI PEANUT SAUCE



Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh-tasting dry roasted peanuts, unsalted

1/3 cup water

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce

2 tsp. sesame oil

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. fish sauce (If vegetarian, use vegetarian fish sauce or regular soy sauce)

1/2 tsp. tamarind paste OR 1/2 Tbsp. lime juice

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, OR 1 tsp. Thai chili sauce (more or less to taste)

1/3 cup coconut milk

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend or process until sauce is smooth. If you prefer a runnier peanut sauce, add a little more water or coconut milk.

Do a taste test, adding more fish sauce if not salty enough, or more cayenne if not spicy enough. If too salty, add a squeeze of fresh lime juice. If you'd prefer it sweeter, add more sugar.

Serve warm or at room temperature as a dip with fresh veggies, with chicken or beef satay, fresh spring rolls, or other Asian finger foods. Or mix with noodles to create a Thai-style noodle dish or cold noodle salad. Enjoy!

Note: This sauce will thicken as it sits - just add a little water or coconut milk to thin it out, as needed. Otherwise it stores well if kept covered in the refrigerator (keep up to 2 weeks, or freeze).