Cơm Tấm (Vietnamese Damaged Rice) Recipe

For Vietnamese, rice is life! Vietnamese eat rice from breakfast to lunch and dinner, and even dessert, albeit in numerous kinds. Rising up in Vietnam, I don’t bear in mind a single day that my household skipped rice. The phrase for having a meal, ăn cơm, interprets to “consuming rice”—Vietnamese historical past and meals tradition revolve round it. 

As one of many world’s main rice exporters, Vietnam exported 6.4 million tons of rice in 2021, in keeping with the USDA. However a lot of what Vietnam sends to the remainder of the world are excellent rice grains, not the damaged rice, or cơm tấm, Vietnamese love a lot. Damaged rice are the grains broken in the course of the drying and milling course of, which, exterior of Vietnam, are typically thought of inferior to intact ones. Among the many Vietnamese, nonetheless, the sensation is way completely different and demand for damaged rice is so excessive that some producers will manually break rice grains simply to supply sufficient. Whereas damaged rice by itself tastes no completely different from common complete rice grains, it does have a pair benefits: Due to their smaller measurement, the damaged grains cook dinner quicker and absorb sauces and flavors higher. 

Traditionally, rice farmers within the rural Mekong Delta saved damaged rice each as animal feed and for their very own meals. Damaged rice was initially served with simply two substances: bì (shredded pork pores and skin) and mỡ hành (scallion oil), and was typically stigmatized as peasant meals. As individuals from the Mekong Delta moved to Saigon after 1975 for higher job alternatives, they launched damaged rice to town dwellers. Since then, damaged rice has change into considered one of southern Vietnam’s most iconic meals, obtainable from avenue carts and sidewalk distributors, and there are even eating places devoted to this common dish.

These days, damaged rice has advanced from its humble beginnings; today you’ll see it dressed with fancier cuts of meat and topped with many scrumptious add-ons. In addition to shredded pork pores and skin, you possibly can select from common choices comparable to grilled pork chop (thịt sườn nướng), grilled pork (thịt nướng), grilled pork paste (nem nướng), grilled hen (gà nướng), steamed pork-and-egg meatloaf (chả trứng hấp), or a sunny-side-up fried egg. The entire plate is topped with scallion oil, pickled greens, recent lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, and a tangy-sweet fish sauce dressing drizzled over every thing. Some locations serve a bowl of pork broth to slurp together with the damaged rice.

My favourite mixture is grilled pork, shredded pork, and pork-and-egg meatloaf. Select what your style buds fancy, or go all-out with a particular that features every thing on the menu.

The Most important Occasion: The best way to Cook dinner Damaged Rice

Utilizing a rice cooker is an nearly foolproof methodology of cooking rice to acquire these excellent fluffy and sticky grains. Earlier than cooking, I wash the surplus starches of the rice with working water till it’s not cloudy, which helps stop the grains from excessively sticking to one another as soon as cooked. Then, with a 1:1 ratio of damaged rice to water, I put all of it within the rice cooker and let it work its magic.

If you do not have a rice cooker, you possibly can in fact additionally cook dinner the rice on the stovetop, which this recipe additionally gives directions for.

Part 1: Grilled Pork

For the grilled meat, I like to make use of pork butt, which has extra fats and tends to be juicy after grilling in comparison with leaner cuts just like the loin. Have your butcher slice the meat about 1/8-inch-thick in order that it’s simpler to marinate and grill. The marinade is a straightforward combination of fish sauce, water, sugar, freshly floor pepper, and vegetable oil, together with my favourite aromatics of shallot, scallion, and garlic. Marinate the meat in a single day, or as much as 24 hours, earlier than grilling.

You will have six to eight 8-inch wood skewers to string the pork, and it is best to soak them in water for half-hour to stop them from burning throughout grilling.

I wish to cook dinner the skewers over a two-zone hearth, wherein the grill has burning-hot coals on one aspect however not the opposite. This fashion, you possibly can sear the pork first instantly over the coals to get some good browning and taste improvement, then transfer them to the cooler aspect to complete cooking with out the chance of them burning.

Part 2: Shredded Pork and Pork Pores and skin

What I really like about this topping is the textural distinction between the chewy pork pores and skin and crisp-tender meat. Retailer-bought shredded pork pores and skin is constituted of pores and skin with the fats eliminated that’s then boiled and sliced tremendous skinny. You may make your individual pork pores and skin, however I want the comfort of premade choices broadly obtainable at Asian supermarkets. 

The pork pores and skin itself is pleasingly chewy, and it is tossed with pork butt that is been simmered till cooked-through and tender, then crisped in a sizzling pan and reduce into matchsticks. Each the sliced pork and pork pores and skin are combined with minced garlic and toasted rice powder (thính), the latter lending an earthy, nutty aroma and pleasing grittiness to the pork and pores and skin.

Part 3: Steamed Pork-and-Egg Meatloaf

Dubbed as “Vietnamese meatloaf,” chả trứng hấp is a humble dish constituted of floor pork, cellophane noodles, wooden ear mushrooms, shallot, scallion, fish sauce, sugar, and freshly floor pepper. Different proteins that work nice with this recipe embody floor hen, shrimp, and crabmeat. Soak each the cellophane noodles and wooden ear mushrooms in heat water for quarter-hour to rehydrate earlier than incorporating them with the opposite substances. 

South Vietnamese steam the combination, whereas north Vietnamese pan-fry it. Baking it or cooking it in a stress cooker are different choices. If you don’t personal a devoted steamer, fill a big pot with about 2 inches of water, put a wire rack inside with the loaf pan rested on prime, cowl with a vented lid, and proceed with steaming. The entire combination is suspended in crushed egg whites, steamed for 25 minutes, topped with crushed egg yolks, and steamed for one more 5 minutes, leading to two lovely, distinctive layers.

Assembling and Consuming

Serving the damaged rice and toppings goes one thing like this: fill small bowls with the cooked damaged rice, then invert the rice onto a plate. It ought to maintain a domed form as soon as the bowl is eliminated. Subsequent to the rice dome you possibly can assemble the toppings. The grilled pork ought to nonetheless be heat, the meatloaf is nice simply barely heat, and shredded pork combination could be room temperature or barely heat. 

Then drizzle the scallion oil over the rice, the grilled pork, and the shredded pork. Add a couple of items of lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber subsequent to the meat, and serve it with the dipping sauce and pickled greens on the aspect.