Bánh patê sô is Vietnam’s take on puff pastry meat pies. This rich, flaky, meat pie is filled with a perfectly seasoned, moist meat filling nestled between buttery, crispy puff pastry. Learn how to make these wildly popular Vietnamese puff pastry meat pies right in the comfort of your own home!
What is Bánh Patê Sô?
One of the greatest exports of Vietnamese baked goods has got to be banh pate so puff pastry.
Step inside a Vietnamese bakery or bread shop and you’re almost guaranteed to find Vietnamese banh pate so being sold. This delicious savory snack is an everyday staple in Vietnamese cuisine.
Pate so (Bánh patê sô in Vietnamese), otherwise known as pate chaud (pâté chaud in Vietnamese), is a French-inspired Vietnamese puff pastry meat pie. Pate chaud is known for its crispy and flaky puff pastry exterior and its savory meat-filled center.
The banh pate so filling usually consists of seasoned pork filling, and perhaps some pork fat added to prevent the filling from drying out while also making the filling juicier. Sometimes additional ingredients are added in such as wood ear mushrooms or black fungus, and onions.
Regardless, it is one good tasty pastry, and you can easily find yourself wolfing down 2-3 of these pastries in one go if you’re not careful!
None of the bánh pâte sô that I made using my banh pate so recipe was left after just 1 day in my household!
If you’re on a diet, better watch out!
This banh pate chaud recipe is quick, easy, but most importantly DELICIOUS!!!
Let’s look at what you’ll need for this banh pate so recipe:
Banh Pate So Ingredients
- 325 g of lean ground pork
- ½ cup of chopped wood ear mushrooms (approximately 34g after soaking and draining)
- ½ teaspoon of table salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1.5 teaspoons of white sugar
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of chicken powder
- 1 Tablespoon of oyster sauce
- 1 Tablespoon of cooking oil (vegetable, canola, etc)
- 1 teaspoon of tapioca starch
- 1 small yellow onion
- 90g of pâté (pork or chicken liver paste)
- 45 g of pork fat
- 1 large egg
- 1 green onion (chopped)
- 1 Package of puff pastry (450g)
Egg wash:
- 1 large egg
Ingredient Notes
Puff pastry: Make sure that you buy a package that has 2 puff pastry sheets, as we’ll be layering the sheets on top of each other. Also it is recommended to buy puff pastry sheets that are at least a 1/4 cm thick as we’ll be stuffing the puff pastry with our filling. Puff pastry sheets that are too thin may be prone to tearing apart easily.
Lean ground pork: Since we’re going to be adding in fat directly into the ground pork, I opted for some lean ground pork but you can use regular ground pork as well or even extra lean ground pork. Do note though that extra lean ground pork will be more on the meatier and drier side.
Chicken powder: This will add an extra depth of flavor to the Bánh Patê Sô.
Pork fat: Adding in pork fat will help prevent our meat filling from becoming dry and will also make it more juicy.
Pâté: It is recommended to buy Vietnamese pâté to simulate the authentic taste of Pâté chaud if possible; however, if you’re not able to find any, then regular pâté that you can find at a local grocery store will do. I was not able to locate any Vietnamese pâté in time when I did the photoshoot for this recipe, so I opted for a Western brand that was sold at my local grocery store.
Wood ear mushrooms: Wood ear mushrooms are readily available at most Asian grocery stores and sold in a package dried out. You’ll need to soak the wood ear mushrooms in water prior to use to soften them up again.
Substitutions
- Puff pastry: You can substitute your own homemade puff pastry sheets if you’d like instead of using store-bought.
- Lean ground pork: You can substitute with medium or extra-lean ground pork. Chicken or beef would also work well with this pate chaud recipe.
- Wood ear mushrooms: You can substitute black fungus in place of wood ear mushrooms. They will be thinner and smaller in size, but will taste similar to wood ear mushrooms.
- Tapioca starch: You can substitute it with cornstarch.
How to Make Banh Pate So
- Soak the wood ear mushrooms in some water, enough to cover the wood ear mushrooms, for at least 1 hour prior to use.
- Take your puff pastry out of the freezer and let it thaw at room temperature.
- Once the wood ear mushrooms have softened up, drain and squeeze out the water from the wood ear mushrooms, and finely chop the wood ear mushrooms. Then add it to a large bowl.
- Next, finely mince the pork fat and then add it to the large bowl as well.
- Now, mince a small onion and then add it to the bowl.
- Then finely chop a green onion and add it to the bowl as well.
- Now add in your ground pork, pate, salt, black pepper, sugar, garlic powder, oyster sauce, chicken powder, and an egg to the large bowl.
- Mix everything well together.
- Now pick up the filling mixture with one hand and then slap it back down into the large bowl 10-12 times. This will help improve the texture of the meat filling.
- Finally, add in your cornstarch and cooking oil and mix everything well together.
- Now cover the large bowl with some plastic wrap or a lid and place it in the fridge to marinate for 20-30 minutes.
- Next, add some flour to your countertop.
- Unpackage and unroll the puff pastry sheets on top of the floured countertop after it has thawed.
- Using a round cookie-cutter mold, make 9 large cuts to the puff pastry, leaving you with 9 pieces. I used a 3-inch round cookie mold, but you may use a different size depending on how wide your puff pastry sheets are. You may also make more pieces if your puff pastry sheet is very long and wide.
- Repeat this process for the second puff pastry sheet. You should have 18 pieces in total.
- Sprinkle a little flour on top of the puff pastry pieces to prevent them from sticking to the countertop and each other, then set them aside.
- Now, make an egg wash by whisking 1 egg.
- Brush the egg wash on the edges of the cut puff pastry pieces for 9 pieces.
- Now take the filling out of the fridge and add about 1.5 tablespoons (Tbsp) of the filling to the center of the puff pastry dough, leaving about 1 inch from the edge of the puff pastry dough.
- Now, take a piece of the cut puff pastry dough and place it on top of each of the puff pastry pieces with filling. Gently press down on the sides of the puff pastry sheet to seal the dough.
- Optional: To create a nice round shape, you can also use the smooth side of the cookie cutter mold to gently press down on the middle of the filling in the center to create a circle in the center.
- Now, using a fork, gently press down on the edges to seal both pieces of the puff pastry sheets.
- Now take the leftover puff pastry dough that you cut out and roll it out again until it’s about 1/4 to 1/2 cm thick. Use the cookie-cutter mold and cut out as many pieces as you can, and repeat this process until you have no more dough left.
- Repeat the process of putting the filling into the cut patê sô pieces and sealing them up.
- Place all of the patê sô pieces onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper about 1-2 inches apart, and then place them back into the fridge until you’re ready to bake them.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). When you’re ready to bake, take the pastry out of the fridge.
- Now apply an egg wash on top of each piece of the patê sô.
- Bake the patê sô at 350°F (180°C) for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
Tips
- Soak the wood ear mushrooms in water either overnight or the morning of, so that they are ready to use when you need them.
- Let the puff pastry thaw at room temperature before using it. This prevents the rolled puff pastry sheets from tearing when you unroll them and also makes it more pliable when you need to stretch it out a little when sealing the puff pastry pieces together. Depending on your package, this can take several minutes to a few hours. For the puff pastry package that I bought, they suggested 2 hours at room temperature to thaw.
- If you find the puff pastry very sticky and difficult to work with, simply place it back into the fridge for 10-15 minutes and then try again.
- You can use a smooth round cookie cutter mold around the size of the filling to shape it into a round shape in the center if you’d like to make it slightly prettier.
- Do not get greedy and try to overfill each puff pastry with a lot of filling. 1.5 tablespoons (Tbsp) is more than enough filling.
- If you have any leftover puff pastry, you can re-roll it and re-use it with the remaining filling for the pate chaud Vietnamese recipe.
Common Mistakes Beginners Make
- Not allowing the puff pastry sheets to thaw out prior to use causes them to rip and tear when unrolling the sheets.
- Adding too much filling to the puff pastry makes it very difficult to fully seal the puff pastry and causes the filling to leak out while baking.
- Not sealing the puff pastry properly causes it to leak out when baking.
Storage Tips
The Vietnamese puff pastry meat pies can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
How to Re-Heat the Bánh Patê Sô
You can either reheat the pate chaud pastry in the microwave or use an air-fryer, or an oven. If using an air-fryer, air-fry the patê sô at 325°F (165°C) for 5-6 minutes or 350°F (180°C) using an oven.
Side Dishes:
Beverages go great with pâté chaud, such as my homemade soy milk recipe or my Vietnamese corn milk recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I Make Patê Sô Without Pate?
You definitely can! But I recommend you use patê if possible. It adds a ton of extra flavor to the meat filling.
Why Is My Patê Sô Filling Leaking Out?
This is usually caused by 2 things:
- The patê sô isn’t sealed properly, and there are openings for the filling to leak out.
- Your puff pastry is too thin, causing it to tear and leak out.
Make sure before baking the bánh patê sô to fully seal all edges of the puff pastry.
Also, avoid using brands that sell ultra-thin puff pastry sheets. Try to look for ones with at least 1/4 cm thick puff pastry sheets, 1/2 cm is even better!
Can I Freeze the Patê Sô?
Yes!
I recommend freezing the unbaked patê sô; that way, you can easily just bake as many pieces as you need at a time. Put the unbaked patê sô in an airtight container in the freezer. Don’t put the egg wash on top of it. When you’re ready to bake the patê sô, simply let it thaw at room temperature, apply the egg wash, and then bake.
They can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Can I Make My Patê Sô Into Another Shape?
Absolutely!
You can cut the puff pastry into squares, rectangles, or whatever shape you like.
I actually tested this recipe, making squares and rectangles first before finally deciding to make circles for the shape to make it more “authentic”.
How Do I Make This Pâté Chaud Recipe Vegetarian?
You can replace the ground pork with a combination of diced firm tofu, shiitake mushrooms, carrot, onions, taro, vermicelli noodles (soaked in water prior to use).
Replace the egg wash with either water or a plant-based milk such as almond milk.
Look for a vegetarian puff pastry package as well.
Can I Air-Fry the Pâte Sô Instead of Using an Oven?
Yes, you can air fry pâte sô!
Air fry the meat pie puff pastry in your air fryer at 350°F (180°c) for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
Vietnamese Puff Pastry Meat Pies (Bánh Pâte Sô)
Equipment
- 1 3 inch cookie cutter mold
Ingredients
- 325 g lean ground pork
- 1/2 Cup Wood ear mushrooms approximately 34g after soaking and draining
- 1/2 Teaspoon Table salt
- 1 Teaspoon Black pepper
- 1.5 Teaspoon White granulated sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 Teaspoon Chicken powder
- 1 Tablespoon Oyster sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Cooking oil Vegetable, canola, corn, etc.
- 1 Teaspoon Tapioca starch
- 1 Small Yellow onion
- 90 g Pâté (Pork or Chicken Liver Paste)
- 45 g Pork fat
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Green onion
- 1 Package Puff pastry 450g
Egg wash
- 1 Large Egg
Instructions
- Soak the wood ear mushrooms in some water, enough to cover the wood ear mushrooms, for at least 1 hour prior to use.
- Take your puff pastry out of the freezer and let it thaw at room temperature.
- Once the wood ear mushrooms have softened up, drain and squeeze out the water from the wood ear mushrooms, and finely chop the wood ear mushrooms. Then add it to a large bowl.
- Next, finely mince the pork fat and then add it to the large bowl as well.
- Now, mince a small onion and then add it to the bowl.
- Then finely chop a green onion stalk and add it to the bowl as well.
- Now add in your ground pork, pate, salt, black pepper, sugar, garlic powder, oyster sauce, chicken powder, and an egg to the large bowl.
- Mix everything well together.
- Now pick up the filling mixture with one hand and then slap it back down into the large bowl 10-12 times. This will help improve the texture of the meat filling.
- Finally, add in your cornstarch and cooking oil and mix everything well together.
- Now cover the large bowl with some plastic wrap or a lid and place it in the fridge to marinate for 20-30 minutes.
- Next, add some flour to your countertop.
- Unpackage and unroll the puff pastry sheets on top of the floured countertop after it has thawed.
- Using a round cookie-cutter mold, make 9 large cuts to the puff pastry, leaving you with 9 pieces. I used a 3-inch round cookie mold, but you may use a different size depending on how wide your puff pastry sheets are. You may also make more pieces if your puff pastry sheet is very long and wide.
- Repeat this process for the second puff pastry sheet. You should have 18 pieces in total.
- Sprinkle a little flour on top of the puff pastry pieces to prevent them from sticking to the countertop and each other, then set them aside.
- Now, make an egg wash by whisking 1 egg.
- Brush the egg wash on the edges of the cut puff pastry pieces for 9 pieces.
- Now take the filling out of the fridge and add about 1.5 tablespoons (Tbsp) of the filling to the center of the puff pastry dough, leaving about 1 inch from the edge of the puff pastry dough.
- Now, take a piece of the cut puff pastry dough and place it on top of each of the puff pastry pieces with filling. Gently press down on the sides of the puff pastry sheet to seal the dough.
- Optional: To create a nice round shape, you can also use the smooth side of the cookie cutter mold to gently press down on the middle of the filling in the center to create a circle in the center.
- Now, using a fork, gently press down on the edges to seal both pieces of the puff pastry sheets.
- Now take the leftover puff pastry dough that you cut out and roll it out again until it’s about 1/4 to 1/2 cm thick. Use the cookie-cutter mold and cut out as many pieces as you can, and repeat this process until you have no more dough left.
- Repeat the process of putting the filling into the cut patê sô pieces and sealing them up.
- Place all of the patê sô pieces onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper about 1-2 inches apart, and then place them back into the fridge until you’re ready to bake them.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). When you’re ready to bake, take the pastry out of the fridge.
- Now apply an egg wash on top of each piece of the patê sô.
- Bake the patê sô at 350°F (180°C) for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
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