Vietnamese Cơm Tấm (Broken Rice with Grilled Pork)

Ingredients

• 400 g broken rice (gạo tấm)
• For the grilled pork chop (sườn nướng)
• 4 pork chops, bone-in
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 stalks lemongrass, tender inner core only, finely minced
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• For the chả trứng (steamed pork and egg terrine)
• 300 g ground pork
• 20 g dried wood ear mushroom, soaked and finely chopped
• 30 g glass noodles, soaked and roughly cut
• 3 eggs, beaten
• For the pork skin (bì)
• 200 g cooked pork skin, finely shredded
• For the garnishes
• 150 g daikon, finely shredded
• 1 cucumber, thinly sliced
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
• For the nước chấm
• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 4 tbsp lime juice, freshly squeezed
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 100 ml water
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced

Method

1. 1
   Combine fish sauce, sugar, minced garlic, minced lemongrass, and baking soda in a bowl and mix until the sugar dissolves. Add the pork chops, turn to coat thoroughly, and leave to marinate. The baking soda acts on the meat fibres (Entry FD-03 principle): the surface of the chops will feel slightly tacky and softened when the marinade has penetrated.
2. 2
   Combine ground pork, wood ear mushroom, glass noodles, and beaten egg in a bowl. Season lightly with fish sauce. Mix until cohesive. Pour into a lightly oiled heatproof mould, smooth the surface, and steam over steadily simmering water until set firm throughout. The chả trứng is done when a skewer inserted at the centre meets no resistance and withdraws clean; the top surface will have lost its raw sheen and taken on a pale, matte appearance.
3. 3
   Cook the broken rice by the absorption method (Entry TH-13 principle): rinse the gạo tấm, add water to the appropriate level, bring to a simmer covered, then reduce heat and steam until all water is absorbed. Broken rice yields a more compact, slightly nuttier result than whole long-grain rice. The rice is done when the surface is pitted with steam holes and no moisture pools at the edges; the grains will be tender but hold their compact, abbreviated form.
4. 4
   Prepare the nước chấm: dissolve sugar in warm water, then combine with fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, and chilli. Taste and adjust the balance of salt, acid, and sweetness in equal measure — the sauce must be sharp enough to animate the rice and rich enough to stand against the charred pork.
5. 5
   Grill the marinated pork chops over charcoal or under a very hot grill. This is where the dish lives or dies: the chops must reach a deep, almost lacquered caramelisation on both faces — the sugars and fish sauce in the marinade charring to a dark, fragrant crust — while the interior remains just cooked through. Undercooking leaves the marinade raw and acrid; overcooking destroys the tenderness the baking soda was engaged to protect. The chop is ready when the surface is mahogany-dark and releases a sharp, sweet smoke, and the meat yields firmly but not rigidly to finger pressure.
6. 6
   Slice the steamed chả trứng into portions. Arrange the broken rice on each plate, topped with a grilled pork chop, a portion of chả trứng, and the shredded pork skin (bì). Lay the shredded daikon, sliced cucumber, and spring onion alongside. Serve the nước chấm in a small bowl for each diner to pour and mix at the table by hand.