Vietnamese Com Tam with Broken Rice
Com tam is broken rice with grilled meat, a fried egg and pickled vegetables — the name means "broken rice" literally. The secret to the meat is that the marinade contains sugar that caramelises on the grill, so it must be grilled fast over high heat or the sugar burns.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Calories
- 520
Com tam is Vietnamese street food at its purest, eaten for breakfast and lunch alike. Broken rice was originally the cheap rice sold to the poor because the grains had shattered in milling — then it became sought after in its own right, because its texture drinks the sauce better.
Method
-
1
Marinate
Mix the fish sauce, sugar, lime, garlic, honey and oil and marinate the sliced meat in it for at least two hours in the fridge.
⏱ 125 min -
2
Cook the rice
Rinse the broken rice twice and cook it with slightly less water than usual — the shattered grains absorb faster than whole ones.
⏱ 20 min -
3
Make the nuoc cham
Mix the fish sauce, sugar, lime and warm water and stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust — it should read balanced, not salty.
⏱ 4 min -
4
Grill fast
Grill the meat over high heat for three minutes a side. The sugar in the marinade caramelises quickly, so watch it — slow grilling burns it.
⏱ 8 min -
5
Rest
Let the meat rest for five minutes before slicing, then cut it across the grain so it stays tender.
⏱ 6 min -
6
Fry the egg
Fry the eggs over medium heat, keeping the yolk runny — that is part of the dish, and it mixes into the rice.
⏱ 5 min -
7
Serve
Put the rice on the plate with the meat and egg on top, cucumber and pickled carrot alongside, and the nuoc cham in a small bowl for pouring.
⏱ 4 min
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Tips that actually matter
- Grill fast and hot — the sugar in the marinade burns over low heat.
- Broken rice absorbs faster, so use a little less water than for ordinary rice.
- Pour the nuoc cham on at the table, not before, so the rice does not go soft.
- The carrot pickles in vinegar, sugar and water in just an hour, and that sourness balances the richness of the meat.
People also ask
What is broken rice?
Rice whose grains shattered during milling. The texture is softer and it drinks the sauce better. If unavailable, short-grain rice is the closest substitute.
Why does my meat burn?
The sugar in the marinade. Grill over high heat for a short time — three minutes a side is enough.
What can replace fish sauce?
Light soy sauce with a pinch of salt, though you lose depth. Fish sauce is fundamental to Vietnamese cooking.
Can I skip the egg?
You can, but the runny yolk is integral — it forms a natural sauce with the rice.
Cook mode
Vietnamese Com Tam with Broken Rice
-
1
Marinate
Mix the fish sauce, sugar, lime, garlic, honey and oil and marinate the sliced meat in it for at least two hours in the fridge.
-
2
Cook the rice
Rinse the broken rice twice and cook it with slightly less water than usual — the shattered grains absorb faster than whole ones.
-
3
Make the nuoc cham
Mix the fish sauce, sugar, lime and warm water and stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust — it should read balanced, not salty.
-
4
Grill fast
Grill the meat over high heat for three minutes a side. The sugar in the marinade caramelises quickly, so watch it — slow grilling burns it.
-
5
Rest
Let the meat rest for five minutes before slicing, then cut it across the grain so it stays tender.
-
6
Fry the egg
Fry the eggs over medium heat, keeping the yolk runny — that is part of the dish, and it mixes into the rice.
-
7
Serve
Put the rice on the plate with the meat and egg on top, cucumber and pickled carrot alongside, and the nuoc cham in a small bowl for pouring.
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