Cha Que (Cinnamon Pate)

This recipe is very tasty with an interesting texture.
Unless you're a fan of hard work, use a food
processor. The pate was originally pounded to the
proper consistency in a mortar and pestle... It can
be used all sorts of ways++made into balls for soup,
sliced after cooking and added to lettuce or rice
paper rolls, served with shrimp chips for
munchies++whatever inspires you. The cinnamon flavor
is discernible but not overpowering. I've actually
made this recipe and found it to be a keeper.

Be sure pork is trimmed of all fat. Slice the meat
1/4 inch thick, then cut into 1 inch squares. Make a
marinade by combining all the remaining ingredients,
except for the pork fat and cinnamon, in a large bowl.
Add the pork slices to the marinade and mix well with
your hands, then cover the bowl with wrap or foil.
Refrigerate for 5 hours, and after that period of time
has elapsed, transfer the bowl to the freezer for 10
minutes.

Remove the pork from the freezer, add the cinnamon,
and reduce to a paste in a food processor only.

Boil the pork fat for 10 minutes and dice into small
pieces, the size of whole peppercorns. Add the diced
pork fat to the ground pork mixture.

Coat an 8-inch-square baking pan with oil. Put the
meat paste into the pan and press down firmly with
your hands, making sure the surface is smooth. The
meat will come halfway up the side of the pan.

Preheat the oven to 350F and bake the pate for 40
minutes or until the surface looks brown. Remove from
the oven and allow to cool. Then slice and serve as
an appetizer or with French bread for lunch or dinner,
or use in any recipe where it is required. It can be
eaten hot or cold.

This will keep fresh in the refrigerator for a week,
or it can be stored for a longer period in the
freezer. To reheat, wrap in foil and place in a 300F
oven for 15 minutes.

From "The Classic Cuisine of Vietnam", Bach Ngo and
Gloria Zimmerman, Barron's, 1979.

Posted by Stephen Ceideburg August 28 1990.