A complete, deeply satisfying Vietnamese cơm tấm: marinated grilled pork chops, bì (shredded pork skin and pork), steamed chả trứng, pickles, and nước mắm dipping sauce, with an optional fried egg.
The smoky aroma of grilled pork hovers over pale, slightly grainy rice. Soon it’s glossed with the bright green of mỡ hành (scallion oil). On the side, the pickled carrot crunches, and a slice of chả trứng breaks apart into a wonderfully tender bite.
If you choose the ốp la version, the runny yolk spills out and coats the rice. Cơm tấm is a complete dish, meant to be mixed : what makes it special is the range of textures and how well they balance each other.
Cơm tấm, what is it?
The name says it all. Cơm tấm is broken rice (gạo tấm) : fractured grains, usually cooked with slightly less water to create a texture that clings to sauces, fragrant fats, and meat juices. Sườn means pork chop, here as sườn nướng : sliced about 1 cm thick, then grilled until caramelized after a marinade built in layers. It combines sweetness (honey), umami (soy sauce and oyster sauce), fermented salinity (nước mắm), and aromatics (garlic, pepper, five-spice).
Bì adds contrast : pork skin, first simmered in boiling water, then sliced into fine matchsticks and coated with thính — toasted rice ground into a powder. It brings a roasty, almost nutty note, plus a drier bite that really begs for sauce. Chả trứng rounds it out with a steamed egg-and-pork terrine, enriched here with rice vermicelli and rehydrated wood ear mushrooms. Finally, ốp la, an optional fried egg, leans into the comfort factor : the runny yolk becomes an instant sauce.
The signature is the balance of all these elements : it’s meant to be drenched with seasoned nước mắm (here : equal parts sugar, fish sauce, and water, plus half as much vinegar), similar to a nem dipping sauce, then eaten by mixing everything into the rice with a spoon and a fork.
The main ingredients of Cơm tấm
Broken rice (gạo tấm) is the foundation : its slightly grainy texture holds onto sauce and takes generous seasoning without turning to mush. Some cooks add pandan for a soft, grassy fragrance. To easily find gạo tấm and the aromatics, a trip to an Asian grocery store helps a lot. You can also make your own by pounding regular rice in a mortar and pestle.
Sườn nướng is the centerpiece : grilled, lightly smoky, and beautifully lacquered. In this version, the marinade typically includes soy sauce and oyster sauce (umami and color), honey, nước mắm, garlic, black pepper, and five-spice (sometimes with a little lemongrass), plus neutral oil, a touch of sesame oil, and milk to tenderize. A fizzy drink like cola can also boost caramelization.
For best results, take the chops out about 1 hour ahead and, if you like, brush on a little of the remaining marinade as they cook. Over charcoal, on a grill, or in a pan, the idea stays the same : sweet-salty pork with plenty of char, and maximum flavor. If these flavors are your kind of thing, you’ll probably also love caramel pork, red pork, or char siu.
Bì brings that signature, springy chew thanks to pork skin (cooked, then finely sliced). Lean pork, simmered with garlic, shallot, and nước mắm, then shredded, adds body and a drier texture that soaks up the sauce. Seasoned (sliced garlic, sugar, salt, pepper) and coated with thính, the mixture takes on a toasted aroma and a subtly sandy bite.
How about Vietnamese banana fritters for dessert?
Chả trứng is made from beaten eggs mixed with ground pork, rice vermicelli, wood ear mushrooms, and shallot, then seasoned with salt, sugar, and pepper. It adds a rich, savory sweetness in a generous slice. Steam it for 15 minutes, brush the top with the reserved yolk, then leave it for a moment with the lid slightly ajar for a more golden, appetizing surface. If you cook with these ingredients often, the guide to Asian noodles is a handy reference.
Around this spread, everything is designed for balance : seasoned nước mắm as the main sauce; đồ chua (here : carrot pickled in vinegar and sugar) and fresh vegetables (cucumber, tomato, bean sprouts) to cut through the richness; and, if you choose it, the ốp la option, whose runny yolk brings it all together and turns into a sauce.
How to eat it ?
The idea isn’t to keep each component neatly separate : pour it on, then mix. Add a drizzle of seasoned nước mắm, a little mỡ hành to coat the rice, then alternate bites : smoky, sweet sườn, a pinch of bì with toasted notes, a tender slice of chả trứng, all balanced by the sweet-tart pickled carrot (vinegar + sugar) and the fresh crunch of cucumber. In the ốp la version, the runny yolk ties everything together.
Adjust it all at the table : more or less sauce; an egg fully set or truly runny; chili and lime to perk everything up; charcoal, grill, or pan cooking depending on the flavor you’re after.
The plate stays balanced, but each component is meant to fold into the rice from the very first spoonful. If you like those fragrant grilled flavors, also take a look at lemongrass chicken or lemongrass skewers.
Ingredients
Grilled pork (sườn nướng)
- 500 g pork chops
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 0.5 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 1 tablespoon garlic finely chopped
- 0.5 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 0.5 teaspoon five-spice powder
- 1 can cola Coca-Cola or Pepsi
Chả trứng (steamed egg loaf)
- 300 g pork belly minced
- 3 eggs ideally duck eggs (otherwise chicken eggs)
- 2 portions rice vermicelli
- 2 wood ear mushrooms dried
- 0.5 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 0.33 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon shallot finely chopped
- lukewarm water as needed, for soaking
Bì (shredded pork skin and pork)
- 200 g pork skin
- 200 g lean pork leg or ham
- 1 tablespoon garlic finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon shallot finely chopped
- 0.5 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- boiling water for simmering
- 5 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 0.25 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 3 tablespoons toasted rice powder (thính)
Seasoned nước mắm sauce
- 1 part sugar
- 1 part fish sauce (nước mắm) good-quality
- 1 part water
- 0.5 part vinegar
Broken rice (cơm tấm)
- broken rice (gạo tấm) depending on how many servings you’re making
- water as needed
- pandan leaves optional
Đồ chua (quick-pickled vegetables)
- 1 carrot
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Mỡ hành (scallion oil)
- 1 handful spring onions thinly sliced
- 6 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
To serve
- cucumber to taste
- tomato fresh, to taste
- chili to taste
- lime to taste
- eggs as needed, for ốp la
Instructions
Grilled pork (marinade)
- Rinse the pork chops, slice into pieces about 1 cm thick, then pat very dry.500 g pork chops
- Combine the soy sauce, honey, oyster sauce, fish sauce, oils, milk, garlic, pepper, and five-spice. Stir in the cola, then coat the chops well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 2 tablespoons neutral oil, 0.5 tablespoon sesame oil, 3 tablespoons whole milk, 1 tablespoon garlic, 0.5 teaspoon black pepper, 0.5 teaspoon five-spice powder, 1 can cola
Bì (shredded pork skin and pork)
- If needed, scrape the skin, then simmer the pork skin in boiling water until tender. Let cool, then slice into fine strips.200 g pork skin, boiling water
- Mix the lean pork with the chopped garlic, shallot, pepper, and fish sauce. Add to a pan, pour in enough boiling water to barely cover, then simmer until the liquid evaporates, keeping the meat tender. Let cool, then shred.200 g lean pork, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 tablespoon shallot, 0.5 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- Combine the sliced pork skin and shredded pork. Add the sliced garlic, sugar, salt, pepper, and toasted rice powder (thính), then toss until evenly coated.5 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons sugar, 0.5 teaspoon salt, 0.25 teaspoon black pepper, 3 tablespoons toasted rice powder (thính)
Chả trứng (steamed egg loaf)
- Soak the rice vermicelli and wood ear mushrooms in lukewarm water until softened. Drain well. Cut the vermicelli into 6–7 cm lengths and thinly slice the mushrooms.2 portions rice vermicelli, 2 wood ear mushrooms, lukewarm water
- Set aside one egg yolk. Lightly beat the remaining eggs, then mix with the minced pork belly, vermicelli, and mushrooms. Season with pepper, salt, sugar, and shallot.300 g pork belly, 3 eggs, 0.5 teaspoon black pepper, 0.33 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon shallot
- Pour into a mold and steam for 15 minutes. Brush the top with the reserved yolk, then leave the lid slightly ajar for a moment to set and color the surface. Let cool slightly, then cut into pieces.
Seasoned nước mắm sauce
- Heat the water and sugar until the sugar dissolves completely. Let cool, then stir in the fish sauce and vinegar. Taste and adjust for a balanced sweet-salty-sour flavor.1 part sugar, 1 part fish sauce (nước mắm), 1 part water, 0.5 part vinegar
Broken rice (cơm tấm)
- Rinse the broken rice, then cook with slightly less water than you would for regular white rice; add pandan leaves while it cooks, if using. Fluff, then cook briefly again to dry it out a bit, if possible.broken rice (gạo tấm), water, pandan leaves
Đồ chua (carrot pickles)
- Peel the carrot and slice thinly (rounds or julienne). Mix the vinegar and sugar, then toss with the carrot to marinate.1 carrot, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar
Mỡ hành (scallion oil)
- Combine the spring onions with the oil, salt, and sugar. Microwave for 30 seconds (or heat the oil separately and pour it over the onions), then stir until the onions soften and deepen slightly in color. Set aside.1 handful spring onions, 6 tablespoons neutral oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons sugar
Grilling, fried egg, and plating
- Remove the marinated chops from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking. Grill over charcoal or on a grill (or pan-sear) until cooked through, keeping an eye on the heat. Baste with a little of the remaining marinade as they cook.
- Divide the rice among plates and spoon over a little scallion oil. Arrange the cucumber, tomato, pickles, grilled chops, bì, and chả trứng. Serve with a bowl of seasoned nước mắm sauce on the side.cucumber, tomato, chili, lime
- For the ốp la version, fry an egg sunny-side up and add it to the plate.eggs
Notes
- Thính (toasted rice powder) is often sold ready-made at Vietnamese markets.
- For a more aromatic dipping sauce, swap the water for coconut water.
- If grilling over charcoal, avoid flames that are too high so the pork doesn’t burn.
