Pate Gan Gà (Chicken Liver Pâté)

2

PREP TIME

40 min

TOTAL TIME

1 h

Makes

400 g pâté

* PLUS overnight soaking time
Pate Gan Gà (Chicken Liver Pâté)

Produced by Sun Ngô; Photography by Christie Vu’o’ng; Recipe by Linh Lê Kim.

Chef Linh Lê Kim of Ăn Chè Desserts in Montreal shares the recipe for this classic bánh mì accoutrement.

Ingredients

  • 300 g chicken liver
  • 1 cup milk , divided
  • 1 slice white bread
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • 2 tsp butter , or 1 tsp vegetable oil
  • 2 garlic cloves , chopped
  • 3 tsp port
  • 2 tsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
  • 6 bay leaves , divided
  • 4 baguettes , (see note below)
  • condiments of choice , (see note below)
  • Vietnamese-style ham , or any other cold cut of your choice
  • cucumbers , cut lengthwise into thin slices
  • cilantro
  • sliced chilies , (optional), jalapeno or bird's eye are ideal

Instructions

  1. Trim tough white membranes from chicken liver. Roughly chop and soak overnight in 3⁄4 cup milk in fridge.
  2. Preheat oven to 350F. Remove liver from milk, rinse and drain.
  3. Meanwhile, soak bread in remaining 1⁄4 cup milk until softened; drain.
  4. In the bowl of a food processor, combine liver, salt and ground pepper. Process until smooth and set aside.
  5. In a small skillet, melt butter over medium. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant but not brown, 30 sec. Set aside to cool.
  6. In a large bowl, combine blended liver, softened bread, garlic, port, flour, whole black peppercorns, oregano, thyme, sugar and 1 bay leaf. Mix thoroughly.
  7. Drop mixture into an oiled 8 x 5-in. baking pan. Spread evenly to smooth surface; pate should be about 2-in. thick. Layer remaining bay leaves on top to cover surface of pate.
  8. Bake until mixture reaches internal temp. of 165F, about 20 min (if internal temperature is not achieved, test again every 10 min). Mixture can be served warm, room temp or cold.
  9. Assembly: Split each baguette lengthwise, without cutting the whole way through. Spread mayonnaise on cut sides of each baguette. Layer ingredients from the bottom up using pate, a drizzle of Maggi Seasoning, cold cuts, pickled vegetables, chillies and cucumber. Garnish with cilantro.

Kitchen Tip

If you don’t have port, swap in 2 tsp cognac, but adjust the amount of sugar to 1 tsp.

Condiments

  • No bánh mì would be complete without a schmear of Bơ (Vietnamese-style mayonnaise). You’ll need 1/4 cup; get a recipe for Bơ here.
  • Đổ chua

    • Four handfuls of pickled carrot and daikon. Get a Đổ chua recipe here.

  • Maggi seasoning
    A hefty splash adds instant umami; soy sauce is a good swap.

A Guide To Making The Best-Ever Bánh Mì

All the essential elements and more recipes, plus a tribute to bánh mì.

Lê Kim’s mother, Đặng Thi Kiêu Nga, bonded with her sister over several rounds of recipe testing to finally achieve a perfect, creamy pate. The recipe makes more than you’ll use in the bánh mì, but any extra can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

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