History
Pate chinois likely dates to the late 1800s, with folklore tying its name to Chinese railway-camp cooks feeding workers cheap beef, corn and potato. Whatever the origin, it became a defining Quebecois comfort dish, its steak-ble-d-inde-patates layering known to every household in the province. It remains a true weeknight comfort food across Quebec, as likely to appear in a Montreal home kitchen as on a diner menu, endlessly debated over ketchup versus none.
Common allergens: Milk
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 600g ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 can cream-style corn
- 1 can whole-kernel corn
- 1kg potatoes, boiled
- 50g butter
- 100ml milk
- Salt, pepper and paprika
Method
- Brown the beef with the onion, season well and spread in a baking dish.
- Mix the cream-style and whole-kernel corn and layer it over the beef.
- Mash the potatoes with butter and milk, then spread over the corn.
- Dust with paprika and bake at 190C for 30 minutes until the top is golden.
Tip from the editors. Rough up the mashed-potato top with a fork before baking so the peaks catch colour in the oven.
Where to eat pate chinois
Pate chinois in Montreal
Featured by TableJourney as a signature dish of Montreal. See the Montreal signature dishes guide for the canonical version.
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