Easy Vietnamese Liver Pâté Recipe for Bánh Mì Sandwiches
Butter — This also makes the pate creamy and fatty. Butter is also used to top off the pate so that it doesn’t dry out. Sometimes, rendered pork fat is used instead.
Aromatics — When it comes to liver, you need plenty of aromatics to subdue the smell. Here I’m using plenty of shallots and garlic. If you don’t have shallots, use white or yellow onions instead.
Oil — A little bit is needed to pan-fry the shallots and garlic to bring out their aroma. You can use either vegetable or canola oil.
Cooking wine — I’m using a Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing), but you can use whatever cooking wine or white wine that you have. Cooking wine is another way to mellow out the livery flavor and aroma. It also provides a small amount of acidity to break down the liver when pulsed into a paste.
Seasonings — To season the liver, I’m using salt, a bit of sugar for balance, Chinese five-spice for flavor, MSG (optional) for that well-rounded umami flavor, and ground black pepper for a small kick.
Food processor — Once the liver is cooked on the stovetop and seasoned, you will need a food processor to pulse the liver and all the aromatics into a paste. Generally, the Vietnamese liver pate is coarser than the French variety, but that is entirely up to you. Pulse longer for a smoother texture. Less for a coarser texture.