AI-generated image
Bánh patê sô
Pork puff pastries
Vietnamese puff pastries with a peppery pork filling
VietnameseBánh patê sô (from the French pâté chaud) are what Hanoi and Saigon bakeries pull out of the oven at dawn: round, flaky puff pastries with a juicy filling of seasoned pork mince, shallot, garlic, wood ear mushroom and plenty of black pepper. People eat them warm on the way to work with a glass of iced coffee, and boxes of them go to the family at Tết. The pastry shatters, the pork inside is savoury, slightly sweet and peppery. For a vegetarian version, swap the pork for crumbled firm tofu and chopped shiitake, seasoned with soy sauce instead of fish sauce. Warm pastry is the common mistake: it won't rise into layers, so keep the circles cold until they go in. Chef's tip: shape the filling into flattened balls a little smaller than you think, leaving a clear 1.5 cm rim to seal.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the pork filling
- 10 ½ oz pork mincenot too lean
- ⅛ oz dried wood ear mushroomssoaked in hot water for 20 minutes, finely chopped
- 2 shallotsfinely chopped
- 2 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp black peppercoarsely ground
- 1 tsp cornflour
For the pastry
- 1 ⅜ lb all-butter puff pastry sheetstwo 320 g sheets, chilled
For the glaze
- 1 egg yolkbeaten with 1 tsp milk; or brush with milk for an egg-free glaze
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz pork mince, ⅛ oz dried wood ear mushrooms, 2 shallots, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp black pepper and 1 tsp cornflour in a bowl until sticky. Cover and chill for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 2: With wet hands, divide the filling into 12 balls of about 30 g and flatten each into a 5 cm disc. Keep them on a plate in the fridge.
Step 3: Roll each sheet of 1 ⅜ lb all-butter puff pastry sheets a little thinner, to about 3 mm, and cut 24 rounds with a 9 cm cutter. Keep the rounds on trays in the fridge as you go.
Step 4: Lay 12 rounds on a lined baking tray, put a disc of filling in the centre of each and brush the rim with water.
Step 5: Cover each with a second round, press the edges together all round, then crimp them with a fork. Chill for 15 minutes while the oven heats to 400°F (350°F fan).
15 minStep 7: Bake for 25–30 minutes, until puffed, deep golden and crisp underneath. Check one: the pork filling must reach 160°F in the centre on a probe thermometer, with no pink juices.
28 minStep 8: Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm. Unbaked pastries freeze well; bake from frozen for 5–8 minutes longer and check the 160°F again.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bánh patê sô take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of dried wood ear mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
SakarpadaSweet fried dough diamonds
Sakarpada (shakarpara) are little sweet diamonds of a rich dough made with ghee, milk and sugar, fried until golden and crunchy. They are a Diwali favourite with tea, and the cubes go into bhusu too. They keep for weeks in an air-tight tin.
Indian
Yaki onigiriGrilled rice balls
Yaki onigiri (焼きおにぎり) are rice balls grilled until they form a crisp, toasty crust, then brushed with soy sauce glaze. They are eaten all over Japan, at izakaya, at barbecues and from the freezer section, as a snack or with miso soup. The inside stays soft and steamy while the outside crackles. Best eaten hot, straight from the pan. Chef's tip: let the shaped rice balls dry for 10 minutes before they go in the pan. A drier surface forms a better crust and won't stick, and the glaze goes on only at the end so it doesn't burn.
Japanese
Caramelised clay-pot tofu and mushroomsBraised tofu and mushrooms
Kho is the slow braise of the Mekong Delta: food simmered in a little clay pot (nồi đất) with dark caramel and seasoning until the sauce is sticky and the flavours go deep. This vegetarian cousin of cá kho tộ (braised fish) uses golden tofu and meaty mushrooms in place of fish, cooked in coconut water, as cooks do in the south, and finished with plenty of black pepper. Serve it bubbling in its pot with steamed rice and a sour soup or plain boiled vegetables. Chef's tip: take the caramel (nước màu) to a deep mahogany, darker than you think, just before it smokes; pale caramel only tastes sweet, while dark caramel gives the bittersweet, smoky flavour of a real kho.