Com Tam

Cơm Tấm (Vietnamese Broken Rice with Grilled Pork Chop)

A beloved southern Vietnamese lunch plate: fragrant broken rice topped with a lemongrass-marinated grilled pork chop, a delicate steamed egg cake, tangy pickles, and a drizzle of nước chấm. Traditionally served with a few slices of cucumber, tomato and sprigs of cilantro.

Prep

40 min

Cook

35 min

Total

75 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •600 g (3½ cups) broken rice (cơm tấm), real broken rice, not whole-grain rice broken at home; do not substitute jasmine or long-grain
• •750 ml (3 cups) water for cooking rice
• •1 tsp salt
• •4 pieces bone-in pork chops, about 200 g / 7 oz each, slice 1 cm / ½ in thick and lightly pound; bone-in is traditional for the smoky grilled flavour
• •3 tbsp fish sauce
• •2 tbsp sugar, palm sugar preferred
• •1 tbsp honey or condensed milk, for caramelised char
• •2 tbsp finely minced lemongrass (tender inner bulb only)
• •3 cloves garlic, minced
• •1 tbsp shallot, finely minced
• •1 tsp ground white pepper
• •1 tbsp neutral oil, plus more for grilling
• •4 large eggs, for the egg cake
• •80 ml (⅓ cup) coconut milk, for the egg cake; whole milk is an acceptable substitute
• •1 pinch salt, for the egg cake
• •1 pinch ground white pepper, for the egg cake
• •1 tsp finely chopped scallion, for the egg cake; optional
• •200 g (7 oz) daikon radish, shredded for pickles
• •100 g (1 cup) carrot, shredded for pickles
• •3 tbsp sugar, for pickles
• •1 tsp salt, for pickles
• •60 ml (¼ cup) rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar, for pickles
• •100 ml warm water, for pickles
• •3 tbsp fish sauce, for nước chấm
• •3 tbsp sugar, for nước chấm
• •3 tbsp fresh lime juice (about 2 limes), for nước chấm
• •4 tbsp (¼ cup) warm water, for nước chấm
• •1 clove garlic, finely minced, for nước chấm
• •1 tsp thinly sliced Thai chili, optional, for nước chấm
• •1 whole cucumber, sliced, to serve
• •1 whole tomato, wedged, to serve
• •1 small bunch cilantro and Vietnamese mint, to serve

Steps

1. 1 Marinate the pork chops: in a bowl whisk together 3 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp honey, the lemongrass, garlic, shallot, 1 tsp white pepper and 1 tbsp oil. Coat the chops well, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, ideally 4 hours or overnight for deeper flavour.
2. 2 Make the pickles: toss the shredded daikon and carrot with 1 tsp salt and 3 tbsp sugar in a bowl and rest 10 minutes. Squeeze out the liquid, then add 60 ml vinegar and 100 ml warm water. Stir and set aside; the pickles will be ready in 20 minutes and keep for 2 weeks in the fridge.
3. 3 Make the egg cake (chả trứng hấp): whisk 4 eggs with 80 ml coconut milk, a pinch of salt, a pinch of white pepper and 1 tsp scallion. Strain into a heatproof round dish lightly greased with oil. Cover tightly with foil and steam over simmering water for 18–20 minutes, until just set (a skewer in the centre comes out clean, internal temperature 75 °C / 165 °F). Cool, then slice.
4. 4 Cook the broken rice: rinse 600 g broken rice in 3 changes of water until the water runs nearly clear. Drain and combine in a pot with 750 ml water and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, stir once, cover and reduce to the lowest heat. Cook 18–20 minutes without lifting the lid. Remove from heat, rest covered 10 minutes, then fluff. The grains should be separate and slightly chewy.
5. 5 Make the nước chấm: whisk 3 tbsp fish sauce, 3 tbsp sugar and 3 tbsp lime juice with 4 tbsp warm water until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the garlic and chili. Taste — it should be bold, salty, sweet and sour in balance. Adjust with more lime, sugar or water as needed.
6. 6 Cook the pork chops: heat a grill pan or outdoor grill over medium-high heat and brush lightly with oil. Grill the chops 4–5 minutes per side, basting once with any leftover marinade, until the surface is deeply caramelised and the internal temperature reads 70 °C / 160 °F on an instant-read thermometer. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
7. 7 Assemble each plate: mound a generous cup of broken rice, lay a pork chop alongside, add 2–3 slices of egg cake, a small pile of pickles, and a few slices of cucumber and tomato. Tuck in herb sprigs. Drizzle 1–2 tablespoons of nước chấm over the pork (or serve it in a small bowl for dipping) and serve immediately.