Pâté Chaud (Bánh Patê Sô)

This flaky and airy baked pate chaud with a flavorful meat filling is so delicious. Pâté chaud is also known as bánh patê sô or Vietnamese meat pastries. This is the perfect breakfast pastry or a great afternoon snack with a hot cup of Vietnamese coffee. It is easy to make a big batch and serve it at a party. This will definitely make you the talk of the party!

Why make this?

Great appetizer: These are great to serve as appetizers at a party. You can make enough to serve 1 – 2 per person with this recipe for a party of 10-20 people.

Savory Snack: These are a combination of a flavorful meat filling and a flaky puff pastry that really works together. They are easy to warm up in the toaster oven and having extra in the refrigerator as an afternoon snack for the kids is a lifesaver.

Easy to make: These are easy to make. You don’t need to have expert-level baking experience to master this recipe. Buying store-bought puff pastry and having a bit of patience will help you create a near-perfect pate chaud.

What is pate chaud?

Pate Chaud translated in English means “hot pastry pie” and is known as a savory Vietnamese puff pastry. It is inspired by French cuisine and the puff pastry is incorporated into this recipe to create one phenomenal pastry. These were known by Vietnam during the French colonism.

The meat filling is commonly made with ground pork, however recent variations of chicken and beef can be used as well in this recipe.

Ingredients and Substitutes

Ground pork: I use regular ground pork for this recipe. There is a bit of fat to keep the meat filling slightly juicy. The alternative is using chicken or beef. I personally have not tried using it but if opting for the alternative meat filling use the same amount and if you are using chicken add a tbsp of oil to give it a bit of oil to turn it more juice once baked.

Puff pastry dough: The brand I buy is pre-rolled and have 2 sheets. The sheets come in 10 in x 10 in size. 

Onion: I love adding onions to give it more flavor. Use white or yellow onion.

Shallot: Shallots taste slightly different than onions and add a delicate and sweet flavor. If you don’t have you can leave it out.

Wood ear mushrooms: These dried fungi add a nice crunch texture to the meat filling. Its commonly used in many ground pork meat mixtures in Vietnamese recipes. I buy mines at my local Asian supermarket in the dried food section. It may be difficult to find if you are not near Asian supermarket. Leave it out if you don’t have any on hand.

Oyster sauce: Gives a nice depth to the meat filling. I also like to use vegetarian mushroom oyster sauce.

Sesame oil: Adds a smokiness to the meat filling.

Salt, pepper, sugar: Flavors the meat filing.

Fish sauce: Adds umami flavor. I like to use Three Crabs Viet Huong Fish Sauce.

Eggs: Separate the egg yolk from the egg white. The egg white I use to keep the puff pastry intact. I brush the edges. The egg yolk is used to brush the tops to give them a nice lovely deep golden color during baking.

How to make

Defrost the puff pastry. Take the puff pastry out of the freeze for 2 hours before you plan to assemble and bake the pate chaud. Leave it out to defrost on the counter. Alternatively, you can take the puff pastry out of the freezer the night before and defrost it in the refrigerator overnight.

Mix the meat filling. Combine the ground pork, onion, shallot, wood ear mushroom, oyster, sauce, sesame oil, salt, black pepper, sugar and fish sauce. Mix well. Refrigerate if you are waiting for the puff pastry to defrost.

Prepare the puff pastry. When the puff ready is ready to be used. Take them out of the box and remove the plastic wrap. Depending on the brand it will either be rolled up with parchment paper or folded without parchment paper. Take a rolling pin and roll the sheets flat. Only handle the sheets you are using first. Take a pizza cutter or pasta cutter and cut and cut the sheets into roughly 3-inch X 3-inch squares. 

Assemble and egg wash. Spoon approximately 1.5-2 tablespoons of the meat filling onto the centre of each square of puff pastry. Use the egg whites and paint the sides and place another square of puff pastry on top. Using your fingers gently press down all four sides. Take a fork and press down on all four sides to give it a nice edge.

Repeat. Once you are don’t with the first box of puff pastry repeat step 3-5 with the remainder of the pork filling.

Preheat your oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F

Egg wash and bake. Coat the puff pastry with the egg wash using silicone brush. Bake the puff pastry on the middle rack for 30 mins or until its puffed up and golden brown on the top. Take out and let it rest for 5 minutes and transfer to cooling rack.

How to serve

Serve these for breakfast, afternoon snack or even lunch. They pair exceptionally well with a nice cup of coffee or with Pumpkin Spice Latte with Vietnamese Coffee on a nice fall or winter day.

How to store

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

How to reheat

Reheat in a toaster oven for 5-7 minutes. Depending on your oven’s heat power it will vary.

Expert Tips

Puff Pastry. The key is to handle the puff pastry in 2 hours after you have taken it out of the freezer. You are looking for a slightly cold yet defrosted puff pastry. When you unroll you want the puff pastry to not crack. A smooth top after rolling it out with e rolling pin is what you are aiming for.

Recipe FAQs

Can you freeze pate chaud

No, once the pate chaud is baked it should be consumed within 3 – 4 days. Freezing the baked pate chaud will lose its fluffy flakiness.

But, you can freeze assembled unbaked pate chaud. Take them out of the freeze and defrost in the refrigerator overnight and bake for 30 minutes at 375°F 

Can you add real liver pate?

Yes, use real liver pate to mix in the ground pork filling. I personally don’t use liver. If you would like to add liver pate add 2 tablespoons to give it a smooth texture. 

Why are they coming out soggy on the bottom?

There are two things that come to mind if the bottom of the pastry is coming out soggy. 

Take out the puff pastry and let it sit for 2-3 minutes and transfer it to a cooling rack. This will allow the bottom of the pastry to cool without trapping moisture.

The alternative is the oven rack is set too high. The heat isn’t reaching the bottom of the tray and is undercooking.

Can you skip the egg wash on the top?

Yes, but I don’t recommend it if you are looking to have a beautiful golden top. It won’t alter the taste but aesthetically it will not look as nice. You will get a light color flaky top.

PRO Tips

Don’t use the puff pastry to soon or late. The puff pastry should be handled at the 2-hour mark to ensure it is not too soft and more difficult to handle. You want the pastry to defrost and still feel cold to the touch.

Use regular ground pork. The fat in regular ground pork will make a juicier filling. If you only have lean ground pork I would suggest adding 1 tablespoon of oil to turn the filling more juicy and tender.

Cut into squares. This is my waste no food mindset that I learnt growing up. Cutting them into squares will ensure you use up all the puff pastry. Using a cookie cutter to cut shapes out and toss out the unused puff pastry.

If you make this recipe, and like it, please give it a rating in the recipe card below and let us know in the comments at the end of the post.

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