Pâté Chaud (Bánh Patê Sô)

Pâté Chaud (Bánh Patê Sô) is a Vietnamese meat pastry consisting of minced ground pork, liver pate and aromatics encased in a light and flaky puff pastry.

What is pate chaud?

Pâté Chaud (also known as Bánh Patê Sô or Patê Sô) is a savory Vietnamese meat pastry originating from Hanoi, with French colonial influence.

It features ground pork (and sometimes other meats) baked in a flaky puff pastry, similar to Chinese char siu so (BBQ pork pastry).

Why you'll love this recipe

This recipe for pate chaud is:

Simple to prepare: the meat mixture is easy to make, and using store-bought puff pastry saves time and effort.

A crowd pleaser: hot and fresh from the oven, these savory hand-held meat pies are delicious and tasty!

Small-batch: this recipe makes about 8 pieces, which can be doubled to make more.

Ingredients you'll need

• vegetable oil: for sauteing the aromatics
• shallots: minced; or ¼ white onion
• garlic cloves: minced
• ground pork: I used a 80/20 mixture but you can use whatever you like
• liver pâté: optional; adds a distinct and creamy flavor to the pork
• fine sea salt: adds savory flavor to the pork
• fish sauce: use a high-quality fish sauce for the best flavor
• granulated sugar: balances out the saltiness
• Chinese 5-spice powder: a combination of five spices; adds additional flavor to the meat
• puff pastry: use store-bought -- see below; defrost in the refrigerator the night before you want to make it
• egg: beaten

How to make it

Make the pork mixture:

In a small frying pan over medium-high heat, add in vegetable oil.

Add in shallots and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally until softened and aromatic, about 3-4 minutes.

Remove the mixture from heat and place into a glass mixing bowl to cool completely.

Add in ground pork, liver pate, sea salt, fish sauce, granulated sugar and 5-spice powder.

Mix the pork mixture until the seasonings are incorporated.

Divide the mixture into 8 portions, about 1.5-2 tablespoon for each pastry.

Prepare the puff pastry:

Working quickly, dust a work surface with flour and roll out the puff pastry.

Use a sharp knife to cut out 16 equal pieces (square, rectangle or rounds -- use a cookie cutter if doing rounds).

Place meat mixture into the center of a puff pastry, leaving a border.

Lightly dab the edges of the pastry with beaten egg.

Place another puff pastry on top to cover, and lightly press the border edges to seal and close.

Transfer the pastry to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Repeat with the remaining pastries.

Chill the pastries in the fridge or freezer for 15 minutes.

Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the tops of the pastries with beaten egg, taking care not to drip any egg on the side edges.

Bake at 425F for 10 minutes. If the tops are browning too quickly, place a piece of aluminum foil on top to cover.

Reduce to 350F and bake for another 15 minutes, or until golden and puffed up.

Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

How to serve

Serve Pate Chaud as a hand-held meat pie.

Pair it with a cold-cut banh mi sandwich, crispy Vietnamese spring rolls, pandan coconut milk tea, Vietnamese iced coffee, or lemongrass tea.

How to store & reheat

Store leftover Pate Chaud pastries in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freeze:

Wrap the cooled pastries in aluminum foil and place into an airtight freezer bag. 

Freeze for up to 3 months.

You can freeze unbaked pastries: Store in a flat layer until frozen, about 1 hour. Transfer to a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Bake from frozen.

To reheat baked pate chaud:

Bake at 350F for 10 minutes, or until crisp and heated through.

Expert tips

Size & shape

Change it up and make the pate chaud smaller for mini bite-sized canapes/appetizers. Use about 1 tablespoon of filling for smaller appetizers.

You can make the pastries into rounds or squares/rectangles. I personally prefer squares/rectangles as I don't need to re-roll the scraps. (See below).

Working with frozen puff pastry

Defrost the puff pastry overnight in the fridge.

Keep the puff pastry cold at all times.

Ensure that the puff pastry stays cold, but not so frozen that it could crack. Tip: work on a marble or glass surface to keep the pastry cold.

Work quickly and but don't overwork or handle the pastry too much.

If the puff pastry warms up, place it back into the fridge to chill.

When cutting the pastry, use a sharp knife and don't twist, which will seal the edges and not allow the pastry to puff up.

Sealing the pastry

You don't need to use a fork to press and seal the border of the pastries. You can if you prefer a decorative look.

Just lay the pastry over top of the filling and press lightly. This will help yield an even more sky-high puff pastry.

FAQs & troubleshooting

My puff pastry didn't puff up

Puff pastry requires a cold dough and a very hot oven in order to create steam, which creates the puff and layers.

It's possible the dough was overworked and the butter layers were warmed/smushed together, not allowing them to separate when it hit the hot oven.

When cutting the dough, it's also possible the edges were smushed together, as above. Use a sharp knife and don't drag the dough.

Tip: when using a round cookie cutter, push straight down and don't twist to cut.

Any re-worked pieces/scraps of dough may lose their layers of butter, which also may mean lack of puffiness.

Other savory pastry recipes you may like

Be sure to check out these recipes:

Homemade Chinese BBQ Pork Pastry (Char Siu Sou)

Flakiest Baked Curry Puffs

Turkey & Cheese Puff Pastry Roll Ups

Spicy Vindaloo Shrimp in Puff Pastry

Let me know if you try out this recipe -- tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer or leave me a comment/rating below!