Mai

Bánh patê sô was one of my absolutely favorite childhood treats. They are the perfect size for a quick snack or party food! They were always a must have when we went to a bakery after school.

“Patê sô” is the Vietnamese spelling of the French “pâté chaud”, meaning hot pastry. If you don’t know much about Vietnam, you might wonder “why French”?

One of my favorite things about food is its ability to record our history- good or bad. From “strange” things like peanut butter stuffed onions invented out of necessity during the Great Depression to fusion dishes that reflect migration patterns.

Vietnam has a long history of the latter due to colonialism. Many dishes in Vietnamese cuisine has Chinese and French influences because of this history. Several well-known Vietnamese dishes like bánh mì have French ties from the colonial period in the 19th-20th century.

Lesser known than bánh mì, bánh patê sô is another perfect example of how Vietnamese people took something French and made it our own. While the history of colonialism is dark, these mini meat pies encased in flaky golden pâte feuilletée, like many other fusion dishes, represent the creativity, resilience, and adaptability of a people who have been through much hardship.

INGREDIENTS FOR BÁNH PATÊ SÔ

• Puff pastry dough – Bột bánh ngàn lớp: Not a very Vietnamese ingredient, this was obviously imported by the French during the colonial period.
• Ground pork – Thịt heo bằm/xay
• Pâté – Patê: I like using a smooth chicken or pork liver pâté
• Jicama – Củ đậu/củ sắn: While it doesn’t have a very strong flavor, jicama adds to the texture of the filling, breaking up the meat and adding a little crunch. If you can’t find jicama, lotus roots also work very well.
• White onion – Hành tây trắng
• Fish sauce – Nước mắm: arguably the most important seasoning sauce in Vietnamese cuisine. Made from fermented anchovies, it is salty and incredibly umami. Non-vegan Vietnamese recipes without fish sauce are very rare. The best nước mắm comes from Phú Quốc or surrounding islands off the coast- Southwest of mainland Vietnam. Our favorite brand available outside of Vietnam is Red Boat (U.S.).
• Bouillon – Hạt nêm: think broth, but in solid form. Bouillon is an amazingly easy way to bring that umami flavor to your food. We use it instead of salt in many of our dishes. You can usually find chicken, pork, or mushroom bouillon. In Vietnam, Knorr is the most common brand. However, we have only been able to find Knorr in powder form in the US and France, not granules. Instead, we use Totole brand chicken or mushroom bouillon. The quantities on our website are based on the granule-type so if you use powder, adjust to your taste.
• Ground black pepper – Tiêu đen xay
• Egg – Trứng: For egg wash

DIRECTIONS FOR BÁNH PATÊ SÔ

1. Thaw puff pastry to room temperature.
2. Peel jicama. I like to do this by cutting it into quarters, then using the knife to cut off the skin following the curvature of the sides.
3. Cut jicama into ~3mm thick slices, cut those slices into sticks, then dice the sticks into small cubes.
4. Finely chop white onion.
5. Mix together all the filling ingredients.
6. Preheat oven to 175°C/350°F.
7. Flour counter top or cutting board and lay out the puff pastry.
   If using homemade puff pastry, roll into 5mm-thick sheet.
8. Cut dough into an even number of circle or square pieces, about 7-9cm across.
   I prefer making them round, but you can absolutely forgo the cookie cutter and simply use a knife to cut the dough into even squares- which will allow you to use the entire sheet of pastry dough.
   If cutting out circles, you will end up with some scraps. You can choose to knead these scraps together, roll it out, and use it to make more pastries. When baked, they will not rise as much and end up with a texture closer to pie crust than puff pastry, but still delicious!
9. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of filling onto one piece of dough.
10. Use your finger to brush water around the edge of the dough.
11. Place a second piece on top- pressing down gently to line up the edges.
12. Use the tines of a fork to press down and seal the edges. Make sure you press all the way through both layers.
13. Place completed pastry on a baking tray lined with a silicon mat or parchment paper.
14. Repeat with the rest of the filling/dough.
15. Place your baking tray of patê sô in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. This chills the butter layer in the puff pastry and prevents it from melting too quickly in the oven, ensuring a better rise!
16. Beat egg and water to make egg-wash.
17. Brush a layer of egg wash on top of the pastries.
18. Bake for about 30 minutes or until they are nice and golden.

RECIPE VIDEO

Bánh Patê sô • Vietnamese meat pastry

Course: Appetizers, Breakfast, SnacksCuisine: Vietnamese, FrenchDifficulty: Easy

Makes

20

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Resting time

15

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

15

minutes

Flavorful mini meat pies encased in flaky golden puff pastry. A Vietnamese creation with French roots.

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 1 kg 1 puff pastry dough

• Filling

• 225 g 225 ground pork

• 85 g 85 jicama (see Notes)

• 85 g 85 smooth chicken or pork liver pâté

• 80 g 80 white onion

• 3 tsp 3 fish sauce

• 1 tsp 1 bouillon

• 1 tsp 1 ground black pepper

• Egg wash

• 1 1 egg

• 2 tsp 2 water

Directions

• Thaw puff pastry to room temperature.
• Peel jicama. I like to do this by cutting it into quarters, then using the knife to cut off the skin following the curvature of the sides.
• Cut jicama into ~3mm thick slices, cut those slices into sticks, then dice the sticks into small cubes.
• Finely chop white onion.
• Mix together all the filling ingredients.
• Preheat oven to 175°C/350°F.
• Flour counter top or cutting board and lay out the puff pastry.
  If using homemade puff pastry, roll into 5mm-thick sheet.
• Cut dough into an even number of circle or square pieces, about 7-9cm across. SEE NOTES
• Scoop a heaping tablespoon of filling onto one piece of dough.
• Use your finger to brush water around the edge of the dough.
• Place a second piece on top- pressing down gently to line up the edges.
• Use the tines of a fork to press down and seal the edges. Make sure you press all the way through both layers.
• Place completed pastry on a baking tray lined with a silicon mat or parchment paper.
• Repeat with the rest of the filling/dough.
• Place your baking tray of patê sô in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. This chills the butter layer in the puff pastry and prevents it from melting too quickly in the oven, ensuring a better rise!
• Beat egg and water to make egg-wash.
• Brush a layer of egg wash on top of the pastries.
• Bake for about 30 minutes or until they are nice and golden.

Recipe Video

Notes

• Jicama: If you can’t find jicama, lotus roots also work very well.
• Cutting the dough: I prefer making them round, but you can absolutely forgo the cookie cutter and simply use a knife to cut the dough into even squares- which will allow you to use the entire sheet of pastry dough.
  If cutting out circles, you will end up with some scraps. You can choose to knead these scraps together, roll it out, and use it to make more pastries. When baked, they will not rise as much and end up with a texture closer to pie crust than puff pastry, but still delicious!

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