Giving you all the homely vibes at this all-day restaurant and bar, CHÔ is quaint dining affair housed in a 160-year old haveli. Overlooking the magnificent Qutub Minar in Mehrauli, the name itself resonates with the idea of a comforting place like home. Carrying on the legacy of Nguyeng dynasty, you have to be ready to venture into a world of avant-garde dishes. Amidst Covid, the dine-in facilities came to a halt but places like CHÔ never failed to impress their patrons.
Vietnamese cuisine is a perfect blend of aromatic, spicy, creamy, salty and tart flavours and these qualities shape up pretty well in the urban warm indoors and lush outdoors of this Vietnamese kitchen. Given the pandemic situation and restrictions imposed on social distancing, CHÔ has come up a with an all-new delivery menu. Hand-picked Vietnamese and Asian delicacies find a place on their curated list and we loved trying out their Vietnamese specialties from the fare. A dynamic range of appetisers, small and large plates as well as sides and desserts led us to gorge on upon some of the most authentic flavours crafted by well-experienced hands.
Beginning with the Vietnamese shrimp rose dumplings, the pretty pink tint already had our hearts. A bite into the chunky shrimp-filled dumplings led to a subtle tinge of sweetness arising from the rose essence. The sticky texture of the dumplings was at once chewy and soft. Dipped in the chilli condiments served with the appetiser, the dumplings captured the real flavour of the shrimps. Next we tried their Katsu chicken Banh baos. The Banh baos are a significant item from the Vietnamese cuisine. The steamed buns or baos are usually stuffed with pork, these Katsu chicken baos fared well too.
The Katsu chicken is traditionally a fried chicken recipe of the Japanese and this amalgamation of Vietnamese and Japanese flavours in the form of a bao was definitely a treat to the taste buds. The lettuce-laden crunchy chicken filling was enhanced with a dip into the creamy mayonnaise-based condiment.
The small plates were such a delight that we eagerly headed to dig into the rich and creamy Vietnamese curry with Jasmine rice. An authentic combination, the sticky rice and coconut-milk curry mixed together taste as good as heaven. While you can opt for the duck curry, we went for the sliced chicken dipped in a light and sweet coconut milk broth, reminding us of the Thai Red curry. Taking a little detour from the Vietnamese flavours, we even tried their Chicken Udon noodles. The use of red cabbage, along with other finely chopped vegetables, mixed in a pool of flat brown noodles left us little choice than to slurp it all clean.
Finally, our tryst with Vietnamese food from CHÔ climaxed with their refreshing slice of tres leches. The light and airy cake, soaked in condensed milk and flavoured with strawberries tugged at our heartstrings and we couldn’t help keep our eyes or spoons off it.
Since we enjoyed their generous hospitality and experimental flavours so much, we’ve fetched the recipe from Chef Vaibhav for our most favourite local delicacy, Katsu Chicken Bao.
Ingredients
- Bao 2 pc
- Katsu chicken 200gm
- Spicy mayo 50gm
- Iceberg 50gm
- Cucumber julienne 100gm
- Micro greens 10gm
Method
- Assemble all the ingredients in a plate. Steam the baos and fry the chicken and make it crispy.
- Take the bao, put the cucumber, lettuce inside and then crispy chicken. Spread the mayonnaise on top and garnish with micro greens. Serve hot.
Bao Recipe
Prep time: 40 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Yield: 8 To 10 pcs
- Flour 250gm
- Sugar 10gm
- Dried yeast 3gm
- Salt 3gm
- Milk 25ml
- Oil 10ml
- Baking powder 2gm
Method
- Mix together the flour, caster sugar and salt in a large bowl. Dissolve the yeast and a pinch of sugar in 15ml warm water, then add it to the flour with the milk, sunflower oil and 100ml water. Mix into a dough, adding a little extra water if needed.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly-floured work surface and knead for 10-15 mins, or until smooth. Put in a lightly-oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise for 2 hrs. or until doubled in size.
- Tip the dough out onto a clean work surface and punch it down. Flatten the dough with your hands, then sprinkle over the baking powder and knead for 5 mins.
- Roll out the dough into a long sausage shape, about 3cm thick, then cut into pieces that are about 3 cm wide – you should have 8. In the palm of your hand, roll each piece of dough into a ball and leave to rest for 2-3 mins.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out each ball, one by one, into an oval shape about 3-4mm thick. Rub the surface of the dough ovals with oil and brush a little oil over a chopstick. Place the oiled chopstick in the center of each oval. Fold the dough over the chopstick, then slowly pull out the chopstick.
- Cut 18 squares of baking parchment and put a bun on each. Transfer to a baking tray, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for 1 hr 30 mins, or until doubled in size.
- Heat a large steamer over a medium-high heat. Steam the buns for 8 mins until puffed up.
Katsu Chicken
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 5 mins
Yield: 4 pax
- Chicken leg boneless strips 500gm
- Eggs 2 no
- Oil for frying
- Flour 200gm
- Salt 5gm
- Light soy sauce 10ml
- Pepper 5gm
- Corn flour 15gm
- Sriracha sauce 20gm
- 5 spice powder 3gm
Method
- Combine the marinade ingredients (light soy sauce, sriracha, 5 spice powder, salt, pepper) in a bowl, add the chicken and stir to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Meanwhile, combine the beaten eggs and 125 ml water in a bowl. Place the seasoned flour in a shallow bowl. Dip the chicken pieces in the egg wash, then the flour, shaking off the excess.
- Heat oil in a deep-fryer or wok to 180°c or until a piece of bread browns in 10 seconds, and deep-fry the chicken in batches until golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
Spicy Mayo Recipe
- Mayonnaise 100gm
- Chili oil 70ml
- Lemon juice 20ml
Method
- Mix all ingredients together and keep aside.