Five-Spice Mushroom-Walnut Pâté

We love the texture and richness of this vegetarian pâté, adapted from Ever-Green Vietnamese by Andrea Nguyen. We tested it using butter; if you use neutral oil instead, it’s vegan. Nguyen also offers a choice between Maggi Seasoning sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos. We tested the recipe with Maggi. Find the commercial bottled sauce in Asian groceries; we recently snagged a bottle at Cost Plus World Market.

READ: Cookbooks We Love: Vegetables are the stars of Andrea Nguyen’s ‘Ever-Green Vietnamese’
READ: The Ultimate Cookbook Gift Guide: New and notable titles from 2023

Serve the pâté with crackers or toasted baguette rounds.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

Ingredients

8 ounces / 227 grams fresh cremini or white mushroooms, cut into large dice

3/4 cup / 78 grams raw walnut halves or pieces, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons Maggi Seasoning sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos, or more as needed

Generous 1/4 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 tablespoons (about 36 grams) butter or neutral oil (such as canola)

1/4 cup / 38 grams chopped shallots or yellow onion

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/3 cup / 21 grams coarsely chopped cilantro sprigs, stems included

Instructions

1. Put the mushrooms and walnuts in a medium bowl with the Maggi, 5-spice powder, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Melt the butter (or warm the oil) in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes, until mostly golden. Add the cilantro to the pan and stir to aromatize.

2. Dump in the mushroom-walnut mixture and stir to combine. Cover, turn the heat to medium-low to facilitate gentle bubbling action, and cook for 8 to 12 minutes, stirring midway, until the mushrooms shrink by about half. Uncover and cook for 1 to 4 minutes more, stirring often, to concentrate the flavor. When no liquid is visible, remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.

3. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and whirl into a smooth spread. Taste and season with additional Maggi, salt and pepper for a robust, savory, spicy finish. Let the flavors develop about 15 minutes, then serve with crackers.


If you like this recipe, you might enjoy:

RECIPE: Andrea Nguyen’s Mushroom Pâté Puffs

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RECIPE: Wine-Style Marinated Mushrooms


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Five-Spice Mushroom-Walnut Pâté

Five-Spice Mushroom-Walnut Pâté

Yield: 4
Author: Recipe by Andrea Nguyen; adaptation and headnote by Leslie Brenner
Makes about 1 1/4 cups.We love the texture and richness of this vegetarian pâté, adapted from 'Ever-Green Vietnamese' by Andrea Nguyen. We tested it using butter; if you use neutral oil instead, it’s vegan. Nguyen also offers a choice between Maggi Seasoning sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos. We tested the recipe with Maggi. Find the commercial bottled sauce in Asian groceries; we recently snagged a bottle at Cost Plus World Market.Serve the pâté with crackers or toasted baguette rounds.

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces / 227 grams fresh cremini or white mushroooms, cut into large dice
  • 3/4 cup / 78 grams raw walnut halves or pieces, coarsely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons Maggi Seasoning sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos, or more as needed
  • Generous 1/4 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder
  • Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons (about 36 grams) butter or neutral oil (such as canola)
  • 1/4 cup / 38 grams chopped shallots or yellow onion
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 1/3 cup / 21 grams coarsely chopped cilantro sprigs, stems included

Instructions

  1. Put the mushrooms and walnuts in a medium bowl with the Maggi, 5-spice powder, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Melt the butter (or warm the oil) in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes, until mostly golden. Add the cilantro to the pan and stir to aromatize.
  2. Dump in the mushroom-walnut mixture and stir to combine. Cover, turn the heat to medium-low to facilitate gentle bubbling action, and cook for 8 to 12 minutes, stirring midway, until the mushrooms shrink by about half. Uncover and cook for 1 to 4 minutes more, stirring often, to concentrate the flavor. When no liquid is visible, remove from the heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
  3. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and whirl into a smooth spread. Taste and season with additional Maggi, salt and pepper for a robust, savory, spicy finish. Let the flavors develop about 15 minutes, then serve with crackers.
vegetarian pate, mushroom pate, best mushroom pate, how to make mushroom pate, best vegetarian appetizer, vegan mushroom pate
appetizer, snack, hors d'oeuvre
Vietnamese, French, American
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