Broken rice, the plate Saigon is known for: fractured rice grains topped with a grilled pork chop, bi (shredded pork and pork skin), a steamed egg-and-pork loaf and scallion oil, with fish sauce.

Com tam began as a meal for poor rice farmers in the Mekong Delta, who cooked broken grains that were then considered inferior. After urbanisation in the early 20th century the dish spread across the southern provinces, especially Saigon, where vendors added grilled pork and the steamed egg loaf cha trung and moved from bowls and chopsticks to plates and forks. Com Tam Ba Ghien in Phu Nhuan, open since 1995, received a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2023.

Where to eat Com tam in Ho Chi Minh City

1 editor pick for Com tam in Ho Chi Minh City, ranked by editorial score. All Ho Chi Minh City signature dishes · Com tam across every city.

  • Com Tam Ba Ghien

    Order Steamed broken rice with the pork chop, pickled radish and sweet and sour fish sauce.

    Com Tam Ba Ghien is an unassuming stall serving broken rice since the 1990s, topped with a pork chop marinated in a secret sauce and grilled over charcoal.

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Make it at home

Serves Serves 22 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 2 pork shoulder chops
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 stalk lemongrass minced, 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp oil (for glazing)
  • 300g broken rice (or short-grain rice cracked briefly in a blender)
  • 2 eggs
  • For nuoc cham: 3 tbsp fish sauce, 3 tbsp sugar, 3 tbsp water, 1 lime, 1 chili, 1 garlic clove
  • Sliced cucumber and pickled carrot to serve
  • Scallion oil (finely sliced spring onion scalded with hot oil)

Method

  1. Marinate the pork chops in the fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass and garlic for at least 1 hour.
  2. Rinse and steam or boil the broken rice until tender but still distinct.
  3. Grill the chops over high heat, brushing with the honey-oil glaze, until caramelised and cooked through, about 4 minutes a side.
  4. Fry the eggs sunny side up.
  5. Whisk the nuoc cham ingredients until the sugar dissolves.
  6. Plate the rice, top with a chop and a fried egg, spoon over scallion oil, and serve with cucumber, pickles and the nuoc cham.

Editor tip. No broken rice to hand? Pulse ordinary short-grain rice in a blender for a few seconds to fracture the grains before cooking.

Common allergens: Egg, Fish, Soy.