Going deeper in San Gabriel

AT Chaus Kitchen, a modest family-run restaurant in San Gabriel, the waiter sets down a small ceramic grater and a chunk of freshly peeled ginger next to my soup bowl. I shave a little of the root into the bowl, taste, then shave in a little more -- and an ambrosial gingery cloud of scent floats up from the absolutely crystalline broth. Silvery-white chunks of fresh snapper and a flurry of al dente rice grains float in the fragrant stock.

I’m eating Chiu Chow-style, clay pot porridge, the specialty of the house. The soup isn’t rich, but the more I taste, the more I’m impressed by its brilliant complexity, a harmony of deep meaty notes playing off sweet, slightly briny ones. This enigmatic balance is achieved by the daily preparation of a fresh stock based on expensive dried scallops and shrimp. The result is concentrated yet mellow flavor.

Of all the soup-like dishes made in the many Asian restaurants of the San Gabriel Valley, few are as fastidiously crafted as this one.

Calling the dish “porridge,” though, seems a misnomer. For non-Chiu Chow speakers, the word is likely to conjure thin oatmeal or the long-cooked rice gruel, congee. But this sparkling seafood dish -- which may be ordered with your choice of fresh oysters, giant clam, sea bass, snapper or sea cucumber -- is a serving of pristine ingredients in a deeply flavored, oil-free broth. Simmered in a heavy clay pot that protects the rice and fish from excessive and uneven heat, it is comfort food as art form.

Eating at Chaus Kitchen is almost like dining with the family. Several grannies and aunties always seem to be present stirring up something in the kitchen -- whether it’s the house herbal tea (served iced) or the homemade squiggly green agar jellies that go into the coconut and sweet bean iced dessert, che ba mao.

You can tell a lot of effort has been expended to spiff up the narrow storefront that once held a place called the Non Stop Cocktail Lounge. Now the space is bright and sunny with chic tile flooring, high-backed booths and a semi-open kitchen. Porcelain spoons instead of the usual plastic cutlery found in most Asian soup shops reflect the thoughtful attention given to the cooking.

The restaurant’s owners, the Chau family, are Chiu Chow via Vietnam, which means their ancestors were among those who emigrated from the overcrowded villages of coastal Canton, now known as Guangzhou, in southern China, to find their fortunes in Southeast Asia. Before the migration, generations of Chiu Chow subsisted in the watery estuaries of the Han River delta where sparkling fresh seafood, simply cooked, was their mainstay. The simplicity and lightness of this cuisine are qualities that attract many devotees today.

Another fabulous dish is the jumbo shrimp plate, three plump specimens the size of adolescent lobsters. They’re seasoned with an addictive blend based on juicy, crunchy shrimp roe. The accompanying mound of rice is splashed with the same savory roe mixture. The plate is a wonderful, flavor-intense adjunct to the porridge. You can also get the shrimp served in combination with tender, long-cooked chicken or spare ribs prepared from a “secret” family recipe.

Shrimp balls, a typical ingredient in Chiu Chow soup noodle dishes, are, quite unusually, made here. Chaus Kitchen’s delicate, hand-chopped versions are not at all like the rubbery supermarket shrimp balls. You can get them in bun loc, a soup crowded with slightly chewy, tear-drop shaped rice noodles and slices of very lean pork. They also show up in the sour chicken noodle soup with its edge of tart tamarind, and they’re the typical garnish in hu tieu, the equivalent to pho in southern Vietnam that’s based on slippery clear noodles topped with seafood, chicken or pork.

Unlike pho, which is accompanied by a plate of leafy herbs, the noodle soups here are served Chinese style with a few bean sprouts and sliced chives scattered over the surface.

Our waiter tells us that the menu is derived from the family’s favorite recipes. Their recipe for Vietnamese curry produces a version that’s as good as the dish gets. Rich with coconut milk, sparked with lemon grass and turmeric, it is a generous bowl holding several chicken pieces. Alongside comes a tiny saucer of salt blended with fresh hot chiles. You can order the curry with skinny egg noodles or “French” bread. The latter combination appeared in the colonial years.

With Chiu Chow restaurants in our area scarcer than truffle farms, discovering a new one is a treat -- and even more so when the menu is narrowly focused. That often means most of the kitchen’s efforts will be concentrated on perfecting a few house specialties, which is certainly the case at Chaus Kitchen.

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food@latimes.com

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Chaus Kitchen

Location: 107 E. Valley Blvd., San Gabriel, (626) 307-5195.

Price: Appetizers, $3.75; combinations and entrees, $6 to $14; che (ice dessert drinks) $2.

Best dishes: Chiu Chow porridge, jumbo shrimp, curry with noodles, bun loc, che ba mau.

Details: Open Thursday through Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; closed Wednesday. No alcohol. Cash only. Street and rear lot parking.