Com tam is the plate you'll spot piled high in the window of almost every Vietnamese eatery – broken rice topped with a fragrant grilled pork chop, pickled vegetables and a fried egg if you're lucky. It began as humble food, made from the broken rice grains too small to sell at full price, and has since become a beloved comfort dish in its own right.
The pork chop is really the star here – marinated in a mix of fish sauce, garlic and a touch of sugar, then grilled until the edges catch a bit of char. We've kept the toppings achievable for a home kitchen, leaning on pickles and a fried egg rather than the harder-to-find shredded pork skin and egg meatloaf you'll see at restaurants.
Drizzle everything generously with nuoc mam just before eating – it ties the whole plate together and turns a simple dinner into something genuinely special.
