Easy Vietnamese Liver Pâté Recipe for Bánh Mì Sandwiches — Vicky Pham (2024)

FAQs

What kind of pâté is used in banh mi? ›

Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches often use chicken or duck liver pâté. With the other strong flavors inside of Vietnamese Banh Mi, like that of the pickled carrots and daikon radishes, the silky, dusky, and earthy taste adds additional texture and additional layers of flavors to an already delicious dish.

Spicy mayo – A banh mi essential! This sauce, made from mayo, sriracha, lime juice, and sesame oil, adds delicious richness and heat to this fresh sandwich. To make this recipe vegan, substitute your favorite store bought vegan mayo, or make your own. Cilantro – The perfect fresh finishing touch!

Banh Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich that's made up of an odd sounding combination – crusty bread rolls smeared with pate, mayo, suspicious looking Asian ham, pickled vegetables, green onion, coriander/cilantro, a mighty wack of fresh chillies and drizzle of seasoning.

To make a vegan mushroom pate, I used super-firm tofu and imbued it with fresh mushroom flavor. You could add some rehydrated dried porcini but I didn't find it necessary. Cremini (sometimes spelled crimini, too) has more flavor than white mushroom, and they're about same price.

As long as it is sealed in fat, it can last a bit longer in the fridge… up to 3 weeks, but if you dip into the pate you will need to reseal the top to preserve it. Otherwise, without the extra seal, it's best stored in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Toasts are also a great partner with Pate. A grilled, properly spiky sourdough bread would be the ideal here, but any decent, thick-cut real white or granary bread will do. But also any type of fresh baguette, sliced toasted baguette, or crackers works very well.

Mayonnaise: Use real mayo. Traditional Vietnamese sandwiches have more of a yellow aioli style mayo used from dark chicken yolks but Hellman's original mayo or salted butter are also great substitutes.

In Vietnamese, the term bánh mì, refers to both “bread” and the “sandwich.” And like other Vietnamese dishes, the bánh, or the starch- and legume-based ingredients, oftentimes define the dish. Phở cannot be phở without bánh phở, or flat, rice noodles.

Banh Mi is quite healthy. The typical Banh Mi has just under 600 calories. The protein is the nutritional star of the dish coming in at 30 grams. The 19 grams of fat are still acceptable.

Vietnamese food is known for its rich variety of flavors, blending five main tastes: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and spicy. Signature dishes like Phở, Bánh mì, and fresh spring rolls (also called summer rolls) perfectly combine different flavors and textures, delighting people around the world.

What gives Vietnamese food its flavor? ›

Star Anise is used in soups and stews for that strong licorice flavor. It is a key ingredient in some meat dishes as well. Annatto Seeds are used frequently for coloring foods and to provide a little bit of lemony flavor. Ginger is an essential spice and is used almost as frequently as cilantro.

Traditionally, pork liver is used in Vietnamese pate. However, it does have an intense flavor, so some people prefer the milder flavor of chicken livers. Chicken livers work for this recipe as well. Baguette – Bread helps give the pate its thick, creamy consistency.

Baguettes from a supermarket, torta or cubano rolls, or even kaiser rolls are good substitutes.

Mayonnaise: Use real mayo. Traditional Vietnamese sandwiches have more of a yellow aioli style mayo used from dark chicken yolks but Hellman's original mayo or salted butter are also great substitutes.

This meat pie is a direct result of French colonialism in Vietnam. Contemporary Vietnamese foods like this pâté chaud often combine the classic flavors of Vietnam with pastry and bread techniques from the French.

Pâté is often made of pig meat and parts, but wild game like snipe, partridge, venison or wild boar can be cooked into a pâté, as can farm-raised duck, rabbit or pheasant. Even vegetables can be made into pâté. Lean meats might require the addition of some pork fat to keep the pâté from drying out in the oven.

Pâté is most associated with French cuisine, but variations on this dish can be found all over the world. It's possible that Americans who are unfamiliar with pâté are fans of liverwurst, unaware that the dishes are essentially the same. Liverwurst, especially in sliced form, is a common sandwich filler for many.