A preparation of broken rice (the shorter, irregular pieces of rice that break during milling — historically considered inferior but now prized for their specific texture) topped with grilled pork chop (sườn nướng), pork skin (bì), steam-cooked pork and egg (chả trứng hấp), and garnishes of shredded daikon, cucumber, and spring onion, with nước chấm. Cơm tấm is a Saigon institution — the most widely eaten street food meal in Ho Chi Minh City — and a preparation where the broken rice's slightly nutty, slightly less cohesive texture (compared to long-grain jasmine) is not a compromise but a specific quality.
**Broken rice (gạo tấm):** The fractured pieces of rice grain produced during the milling process. When cooked by the absorption method (Entry TH-13 principle), broken rice produces a slightly different texture from whole grain rice — shorter, with a slightly nuttier flavour and a more compact, less separate grain. This texture is specifically appropriate for cơm tấm's eating context (topped with grilled pork and mixed by hand with nước chấm). **The grilled pork chop:** Marinated in fish sauce, sugar, garlic, lemongrass, and a small amount of baking soda (for tenderisation — Entry FD-03 principle). Grilled over charcoal or a very hot grill to a deep caramelisation. **Chả trứng (steam-cooked pork and egg terrine):** Ground pork mixed with wood ear mushroom, glass noodles, and beaten egg — poured into a mould and steamed. The result: a firm, slightly springy pork cake with a neutral, slightly savoury flavour that provides textural contrast to the grilled pork.
Naomi Duguid & Jeffrey Alford, *Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia* (2000); Naomi Duguid, *Burma: Rivers of Flavor* (2012)