Cơm Tấm (Vietnamese Broken Rice) – Street Food Classic

Vietnamese Broken Rice, known as Cơm Tấm (pronounced kuhm tum), is a beloved street food from southern Vietnam that has captured hearts with its flavorful grilled pork chops, rich fish sauce drizzle, and the unmistakable texture of fractured rice grains. This dish brings together sweet, savory, and umami-rich components for a satisfying, full meal.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Cơm Tấm is famous for its caramelized grilled pork (often sườn nướng), pickled vegetables, and nước chấm, a bold Vietnamese dipping sauce. This is a main course Vietnamese recipe that’s perfect for lunch or dinner. It’s a balanced, protein-rich meal that offers a bit of everything—rice, meat, egg, pickles, and sauce. It’s also highly customizable!

What Makes Cơm Tấm So Special?

Originally made with leftover broken rice grains discarded during the milling process, Cơm Tấm rose from humble beginnings to become a Saigon favorite. Street vendors began pairing the tender, small rice grains with flavorful toppings like grilled pork, shredded pork skin (bì), steamed egg meatloaf (chả trứng), and sunny-side-up eggs.

Its uniqueness lies in its textural variety and layered flavors, all served on a single plate. The broken rice absorbs sauces better than whole grains, making each bite flavorful and moist. With vibrant pickles and fragrant green onion oil (mỡ hành), every component plays a key role.

INGREDIENTS FOR VIETNAMESE BROKEN RICE (CƠM TẤM)

Main Components:

• Broken rice (or substitute with jasmine rice)
• Pork chops, boneless

Marinade Ingredients:

• Fish sauce
• Soy sauce
• Brown sugar
• Garlic
• Lemongrass
• Shallots
• Black pepper

For Nước Chấm (Vietnamese Dipping Sauce):

• Fish sauce
• Lime juice
• Sugar
• Garlic
• Red chili
• Water

Other Toppings:

• Scallion oil (mỡ hành) – scallions, oil, salt
• Pickled vegetables – carrots, daikon radish
• Fried egg – sunny-side-up
• Optional: shredded pork skin (bì), steamed egg meatloaf (chả trứng)

HOW TO MAKE VIETNAMESE BROKEN RICE

1. Marinate the pork: Combine fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, lemongrass, shallots, and black pepper. Coat the pork chops and marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Make scallion oil: Finely chop scallions. Heat oil and pour over the scallions with a pinch of salt. Set aside.
3. Grill the pork: Grill pork chops on a BBQ or grill pan over medium-high heat for 3–5 minutes per side until caramelized and cooked through.
4. Prepare broken rice: Rinse and steam broken rice (or use jasmine rice if unavailable). Fluff before serving.
5. Make nước chấm dipping sauce: Mix fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, minced garlic, chili, and water. Adjust to taste—should be tangy, sweet, and savory.
6. Fry eggs: Cook eggs sunny-side-up with crispy edges and a runny yolk.
7. Assemble the plate: Place broken rice on a plate, top with grilled pork, fried egg, pickled vegetables, a drizzle of scallion oil, and nước chấm on the side.

Cơm Tấm with Grilled Pork (Vietnamese Broken Rice)

Learn how to make Vietnamese Cơm Tấm at home! This authentic broken rice dish features grilled pork, scallion oil, a fried egg, and savory nước chấm sauce. Perfect for lunch or dinner.

Servings 4

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

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Ingredients

  

• 2 cups broken rice or jasmine rice
• 4 boneless pork chops
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 stalk lemongrass finely minced
• 1 shallot minced
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ cup scallions finely chopped
• ¼ cup neutral oil
• 1 pinch salt
• 4 eggs
• Pickled carrots and daikon, cucumbers for serving

Nước Chấm (Dipping Sauce):

• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 red chili minced
• 4 tablespoons water

Instructions

 

• Mix fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, lemongrass, shallot, and pepper. Marinate pork chops for 2 hours or overnight.
• Cook broken rice or jasmine rice according to package directions.
• Heat oil and pour over scallions with salt to make scallion oil.
• Grill pork over medium-high heat 3–5 mins per side.
• Mix all nước chấm ingredients and adjust seasoning.
• Fry eggs until whites are set and yolks are runny.
• Plate rice, pork chop, fried egg, pickles, cucumbers, drizzle scallion oil, and serve with dipping sauce.

Notes

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

• Calories: 570
• Carbohydrates: 45g (16% DV)
• Protein: 28g (56% DV)
• Fat: 30g (46% DV)
• Saturated Fat: 6g (30% DV)
• Cholesterol: 190mg (63% DV)
• Sodium: 970mg (42% DV)
• Fiber: 2g (7% DV)
  Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients used.

Calories: 570kcal

Course: dinner, lunch, main dish

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Keyword: broken rice Vietnamese, com tam recipe, grilled pork with broken rice, how to make com tam, Saigon street food, Vietnamese lunch ideas

Recipe Tips

• Make-ahead tip: Pork can be marinated the night before for deeper flavor.
• Storage: Store rice, pork, and sauce separately in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Vegetarian version: Substitute pork with grilled tofu or eggplant marinated the same way.
• Gluten-free tip: Use gluten-free soy sauce or tamari.
• Low-calorie version: Use less oil for scallion topping and skip fried egg.

Serving Ideas

Serve Cơm Tấm with:

• Vietnamese iced coffee (cà phê sữa đá)
• Fresh cucumber salad with rice vinegar dressing
• Shredded pork skin (bì) or steamed egg meatloaf (chả trứng)
• Chilled jasmine tea or lemongrass tea

Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @wokwithsam on Instagram and hashtag it #wokwithsam.