Com Tam Broken Rice
A quintessential Saigon street food dish built on a base of fragrant broken jasmine rice topped with a charcoal-grilled pork chop marinated in lemongrass and fish sauce, alongside a fried egg and tangy nuoc cham. It is a complete and deeply satisfying meal that captures the heart of southern Vietnamese home cooking.
Saigon-style broken rice served with grilled lemongrass pork chop, fried egg, and nuoc cham sauce.
Nutrition per serving
Ingredients
Rice
Protein
Marinade
Sauce
Instructions
Marinate the Pork Chops
Combine minced lemongrass with fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 1 tablespoon of neutral oil. Score the pork chops lightly on both sides with a knife to help the marinade penetrate. Coat thoroughly and marinate for at least 20 minutes or up to 4 hours in the refrigerator for deeper flavor.
Cook the Broken Rice
Rinse the broken rice under cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Cook in a rice cooker or on the stovetop using a 1 to 1.5 water ratio. Broken rice absorbs less water than whole grain rice, so check for doneness at 15 minutes. The finished rice should be tender with a slightly sticky quality that holds together when scooped.
Grill the Pork and Fry the Eggs
Grill the marinated pork chops over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side until caramelized and cooked through with a slight char on the edges. Simultaneously fry eggs sunny-side up in a lightly oiled nonstick pan over medium heat until the whites are set and the yolk remains runny.
Plate and Serve
Scoop a generous mound of broken rice onto each plate. Lay the grilled pork chop alongside the rice and place a fried egg on top of or beside the rice. Drizzle nuoc cham sauce generously over the entire plate and serve with sliced cucumber and a small portion of do chua pickled vegetables on the side.
Substitutions
Common mistakes
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