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Yet another new stall joins Amoy Street Food Centre, one of the many hawker centres that sees huge crowds during lunch time.
Chop Chop Biryani House has been open for barely a month this August 2017 but is already getting popular for serving nasi biryani like you’ve never had before.
The traditional Indian nasi biryani is given a twist with the addition of various unconventional meats, including roast pork, sotong, pork masala, char siew and salted egg chicken.
Yes, you read that right — they serve pork here. Controversial? Maybe. Interesting and worth a try? Definitely.
Every plate is made-to-order, and they only scoop the rice and chop up the meat after you’ve decided what to have, so your food will definitely arrive hot and fresh.
Call me basic, but I was very excited when I saw the Salted Egg Chicken Biryani ($6) and just had to order it. The plate came with piping hot biryani rice, pineapple salsa, cabbage thoran, papadum and a lava egg.
The texture of the saffron-hued basmati rice was just right, but unfortunately not the best I have tried. The curry sauce, however, made up for the lack of flavour.
The curry was rich and packed a slight punch, making the dish a lot more fragrant. Remember to ask for more curry on your rice!
I was served about eight cubes of perfectly fried chicken that were coated with a generous amount of finger-licking good salted egg sauce. The cabbage thoran was light and tangy, with the sweetness of the onions cutting through, adding another depth to the flavour of the vegetables.
It was, however, a tad too oily for my liking.
While the exterior of the chicken was very crisp, the interior was very juicy and tender.
The chicken cubes were perfect when paired with the mildly spicy salted egg sauce and the zesty pineapple salsa, which helped to cut through the richness of the entire dish.
The lava egg did not have a 100% molten yolk and seemed a tad overcooked, but still tasted very good when paired with the curry and the biryani rice.
It was refreshing to have a lava egg with our biryani, something you don’t get when you eat traditional biryanis.
The papadum served was crispy and fresh, without any of the nasty old-oily taste that comes with the papadums served at many nasi biryani stalls.
Many people before me ordered the Siu Yoke Biryani ($5) so I had to try it too. It also came with all the same accompaniments; a standard in every plate ordered at Chop Chop.
The siu yoke was very well-executed, with crispy pork crackling and an even ratio of fat to lean meat. It was also tender but still retained a bite. I never thought I’d say this, but roast pork really tastes so good with biryani rice.
Don’t knock it till you try it!
It was an eye-opening experience having roast pork and salted egg chicken with nasi biryani, but it’s something I can definitely get used to. The meats I tried were very well-executed, but I felt that the rice itself could do with an improvement.
Here’s an unusual twist to local flavours that we all know and love, and while nothing will beat the traditional version, this is well worth a try.
Expected damage: $5 – $6 per person
