Cơm tấm — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Broken rice with caramelized lemongrass chicken, egg cake, and pickles. Uses chicken instead of traditional meat chop. Saigon's beloved street classic.

Ingredients

3 cups broken rice (com tam)
4 boneless chicken thighs
3 tbsp finely minced lemongrass (white part only)
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 tbsp vegetable oil for marinade
4 eggs
For nuoc cham: 3 tbsp fish sauce, 3 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp warm water, 2 tbsp lime juice, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 sliced red chilli
Pickled daikon and carrot (julienned, in rice vinegar and sugar)
1 English cucumber, sliced
Fried shallots for garnish

Instructions

1 Combine the lemongrass, fish sauce, sugar, garlic, shallot, and oil in a bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the chicken thighs and coat thoroughly, then cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least four hours or overnight.
2 Rinse the broken rice three times under cold running water until the water is mostly clear. Add to a rice cooker or pot with water at a ratio of one and a quarter cups water per cup of rice, and cook until fluffy and tender.
3 Prepare the nuoc cham dipping sauce by dissolving the sugar in the warm water, then stirring in the fish sauce, lime juice, minced garlic, and sliced chilli. Set aside at room temperature for the flavours to meld for at least fifteen minutes.
4 Preheat a grill pan or outdoor grill to medium-high heat and brush with oil. Grill the marinated chicken thighs for five to six minutes per side, basting with any remaining marinade, until the surface is caramelised and deeply charred in spots.
5 While the chicken grills, prepare a simple steamed egg by beating the eggs with a pinch of salt and one teaspoon of fish sauce. Pour into a lightly greased heatproof dish and steam over simmering water for twelve to fifteen minutes until just set.
6 Allow the grilled chicken to rest for three minutes, then slice each thigh on the bias into strips about one centimetre thick. Cut the steamed egg into rectangular portions that will fit neatly alongside the rice on the plate.
7 Mound the broken rice on one side of each plate. Arrange the sliced grilled chicken, steamed egg, pickled daikon and carrot, and cucumber slices alongside. Drizzle generously with nuoc cham and scatter fried shallots over the top before serving.