Com Tam (Vietnamese Broken Rice)

Ingredients

• 2 cups (about 370 g)broken rice
• 2 cups (about 475 ml)water
• 1/8 tspsalt
• 4 tbsp (60 ml)fish sauce
• 6 tbsp (90 ml)warm water
• 2 tbsp (about 25 g)sugar
• 1 tsp (5 ml)Sriracha

Instructions

1. 1

   Rinse the rice

   Wash the broken rice until the water runs clear, then drain it. Add the 2 cups of water and 1/8 tsp salt, and cook on the hob or in a rice cooker.

2. 2

   Mix the sauce

   Stir the fish sauce, 6 tbsp warm water, sugar and Sriracha together in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside.

3. 3

   Prepare the marinade

   Combine the ingredients intended for the marinade or meatballs. The recipe does not specify which ingredients these are or give quantities for them.

4. 4

   Chill the meat

   Put the marinated meat or shaped meatballs in the fridge for 1 hour.

5. 5

   Cook the meat

   Heat a pan over medium-high heat, add the meat and cook until it reaches your preferred doneness.

6. 6

   Pack the vegetables

   Put the carrots and daikon into clean, sterilised jars.

7. 7

   Mix the pickle liquid

   Whisk the remaining pickle ingredients until the salt and sugar dissolve. The recipe does not provide the ingredient list or quantities for this mixture.

8. 8

   Chill the pickles

   Pour the vinegar mixture into the jars until the vegetables are fully covered. Refrigerate overnight.

What is cơm tấm?

Cơm tấm means broken rice and is associated with southern Vietnam, particularly Ho Chi Minh City. The rice is commonly served with grilled or otherwise cooked meat, pickled vegetables and sauces.

Here, the rice and a fish sauce mixture are specified, but the meat and pickle ingredients are not included. Those omissions matter: the recipe describes a familiar style of meal, but does not give enough detail to reproduce the complete plate.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 390 calories, 7g protein, 85g carbs, 1g fat.

The rice supplies most of the carbohydrates, while the sugar adds a smaller amount. The listed ingredients contain little protein or fat; most of the sodium comes from the fish sauce and added salt. To make a more balanced plate, serve the rice with a protein and vegetables, using the missing recipe details to prepare them safely.

Cooking the broken rice

Rinsing: wash the rice until the water runs clear, then drain it as directed. This removes loose surface starch before cooking.

Water: the listed ratio is 2 cups of rice to 2 cups of water, with a little salt. The instructions allow either a hob or a rice cooker but do not give a cooking time or heat setting.

The fish sauce mixture

Balance: fish sauce brings saltiness, while sugar and warm water soften and dilute it; Sriracha adds heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves before using the mixture.

Use: the ingredient note says to set this mixture aside, while the method separately mentions a marinade. It is not clear whether this sauce is meant for the marinade, for serving, or both.

Marinating and cooking the meat

Chilling: the method calls for marinating meat or shaping meatballs and refrigerating them for 1 hour. However, it does not identify the meat or list any marinade ingredients.

Doneness: cook the meat in a pan over medium-high heat until it is done to your preference. Since the cut and size are unspecified, the recipe cannot provide a reliable cooking time.

Making the pickles

Vegetables: the method names carrots and daikon and says to pack them into clean, sterilised jars. Their quantities are not supplied.

Liquid: the vegetables should be covered with a vinegar mixture and chilled overnight, but the vinegar and other pickle ingredients are missing. The quantities and method therefore need to be checked against the original recipe before making this component.

Putting the plate together

Serve the cooked broken rice with the meat and pickles once those components are prepared. The fish sauce mixture may suit the plate, but the recipe does not say exactly how it is served.

For a more complete meal, the usual idea is to combine rice with a protein and vegetables; here, the absent meat and pickle details prevent a precise serving suggestion.

Recipe notes & tips

• Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, as specified, before cooking.
• Measure the water carefully because the recipe gives a 1:1 volume ratio for rice and water.
• Use warm water for the fish sauce mixture so the sugar dissolves readily.
• Check the original recipe for the missing marinade and pickle ingredients before beginning those parts.
• Use clean, sterilised jars as directed for the pickled vegetables.

Variations

• Adjust the heat: add more or less Sriracha to suit your preference.
• Serve the sauce separately: keep the fish sauce mixture on the side if you are unsure whether it is intended as a marinade.
• Use a rice cooker: cook the rinsed rice with the listed water and salt using the cooker’s standard setting.
• Add the missing pickles: follow the original recipe’s quantities for carrots, daikon and vinegar before preparing them.
• Choose a meat option: use the original recipe’s intended meat or meatball ingredients, which are not included in the supplied details.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Guessing the marinade: the method does not identify its ingredients, so check the original recipe rather than assuming the fish sauce mixture is the marinade.
• Starting the pickles without a formula: the vinegar mixture is unspecified; confirm its ingredients and quantities before filling jars.
• Leaving the rice unrinsed: rinse it until the water runs clear, as instructed.
• Overcooking unspecified meat: the recipe gives no cooking time, so judge doneness according to the cut and size you are using.
• Confusing sauce and marinade: the instructions describe both but do not explain whether they are the same mixture; verify before using.

How to store

Refrigerate cooked rice and cooked meat promptly in covered containers and use within 3–4 days; reheat until steaming hot. The pickle method calls for overnight chilling, but because its vinegar mixture is not specified, follow the original recipe for storage guidance beyond that.

Frequently asked questions