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
RECIPE: Red-Pepper Harissa Dip
RECIPE: Wine-Style Marinated Mushrooms
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Five-Spice Mushroom-Walnut Pâté
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
