vietnamese. simply.

Here’s another meat pie recipe that is quite different than the other one I previously posted about. This meat pie is wrapped in pastry dough and is a staple at parties in our family. We usually order Pate Chaud catering style but store bought just doesn’t compare to my aunt, Co Hop’s, version.

When I asked Co Hop for the recipe, I got the usual vague measurements. However, after consulting with my cousin Ginie (her daughter) as well as cross-referencing many recipes online, I was able to get the flavor profile right on the first try! As my aunt pointed out, we all have the luxury these days of easily attainable frozen puff pastry dough so making Pate Chaud is almost completely foolproof.

One interesting thing I noticed about Pate Chaud is that there’s quite a lot of variation between recipes. Whereas with other recipes I’ve previously attempted, I found many similarities between recipes found online and those given by my family. Ingredient-wise, what sets my aunt’s recipe apart is the soy flavor and the heartiness added by mushrooms (note: she actually uses canned button mushrooms but said that it can be substituted by fresh button or shitake). Another difference I found is that she recommends cooking the meat halfway rather than stuffing it raw to prevent the meat from sticking to the pastry dough.

I have to admit the first couple of batches were not the prettiest but no one cared. Between our family of 4 and my cousin’s family up the street, we devoured about 20 within 24 hours.

Of all the recipes I’ve posted so far, this one is probably the most enjoyed by my family and also a fun one to involve the kids. Bon appetit!

Over the holidays, my aunt who was visiting from Washington showed me how she makes a classic caramelized pork, the main steps of which are essentially the same for most claypot style dishes, including ginger chicken. There was nothing truly groundbreaking in her demonstration, and in fact, my mom has showed me many times how to do the exact same thing. The difference, however, is that my aunt took the time to measure everything out. And, given how many times I’ve tried and failed at caramelizing, I decided to also use the opportunity to get my caramelization game right.

Up until now, my caramel sauce technique has been extremely finicky. Most of the time, it comes out light and slightly under-flavored after I completely burn the initial attempt. After some repeated practice, I noted a few important takeaways:

1. Watch it carefully as it cooks quickly once the sugar starts to melt (between the 3 and 4 minute marks). I notoriously try to multi-task in the kitchen but turning away for even a few seconds once the sugar starts to melt can result in a burnt batch.
2. Cook on high heat undisturbed, but note that different pans heat differently. I found that with a Caphalon or dutch oven, I should turn the heat to medium/high. However, in an All-Clad, medium heat was more appropriate to prevent burning.
3. The sauce should start to look a little burnt, but throw in the shallots soon after. Otherwise, if the shallots are thrown in while the sugar is still a golden brown color, the resulting dish will be a lot more mild (not bad, but not as flavorful or punchy).

I hope that breaking down the technique and the ingredient proportions will be helpful to others who may not have mastered caramelization yet. You may even end up rethinking ever ordering these kinds of dishes again in restaurants given how simple and delicious it can be coming from your own kitchen.

The recipe given below is for ginger chicken. However step 2 alone can be used to create caramel (aka claypot) anything (pork chop, fish, shrimp, etc).