Vietnamese Pate
With its ease of preparation and its perfect balance of sweet and savory seasonings, Vietnamese pate is a must-try dish for anyone looking to add a little something special to their next meal. While many prefer pate made out of pork liver or a combination of different meat, I prefer chicken pate since it’s a healthier version. There are fewer calories and fat in chicken liver. It also contains a good source of vitamin B12. This vitamin is essential for the proper function of nerves and blood. Overall, chicken pate is a nutritious and versatile dish if done the right way.
Ingredients
- 1.6 pounds chicken liver
- shallot
- minced garlic
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 stick of unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- black pepper
- dried parsley
- cooking wine/whiskey/cognac
Instructions
- Soak and drain the chicken liver in cold water multiple times until the water becomes clear.
- Trim off the excess fat and tissue, and cut them into small pieces so they cook evenly.
- Soak the liver in a bowl of milk for about 30 minutes.
- In a pan/wok, sauté the garlic and shallot until become golden.
- Drain the chicken from the milk and add it to the pan. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- At this step, there might be some excessive juice (pink color) from the chicken liver. Make sure to drain the juice chicken liver to get rid of the juice.
- Add bay leaves, sugar, salt, and dried parley.
- Cover the pan with a lid so the water doesn’t evaporate and make sure to turn the heat down. Cook the liver thoroughly for another 10 minutes.
- Have a blender/food processor ready to blend the liver
- When the liver is completely cooked, add it to your blender and blend until desired consistency.
- Add cooking wine or cognac or whiskey, and black pepper, and continue blending. You can taste test the liver.
- Add more sugar or salt to your desired taste.
- At this step, the chicken liver is ready to be chilled and served. Pour the chicken pate into containers.
- OPTIONAL Melt the butter and pour it on top of the chicken liver. Store the pate in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
Notes:
- I used 2 mini foil containers with lids to hold the pate so I can freeze them.
- This chicken or Vietnamese pate pairs perfectly with a Vietnamese baguette and jalapeno. You can spread the pate inside the baguette with butter, then add jalapeno.
- One way to spice things up is adding Chili Garlic Sauce to your pate before heating it up.
- Another way to eat a thoroughly cooked chicken liver is by spreading an even coat of your pate on your toast before toasting them, so the pate layer is cooked evenly.
- I recommend blending the butter with cooked pate if serve immediately. Since I’m going to freeze the pate, I’m covering it with a layer of butter to reserve the pate better. Plus I like the fresh taste of the butter.