Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)
Quick Ingredients
- 4 bone-in pork chops, 1/2 inch thick (2–2.5 lb total)
- Marinade: 2 lemongrass stalks (minced), 4 garlic cloves (minced), 1 small shallot (minced), 3 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp neutral oil, 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Rice: 2 cups broken rice (or jasmine), 2.4 cups water
- Bì (shredded pork skin): 8 oz pork skin, 6 oz pork shoulder, 2 tbsp toasted rice powder, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp pepper, pinch salt
- Chả trứng: 300 g ground pork, 2 eggs + 1 yolk, 20 g dried glass noodles, 2 dried wood ear mushrooms, 1 small shallot, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp pepper
- Scallion oil: 1/3 cup neutral oil, 1/3 cup finely sliced scallions, 1/4 tsp salt
- Pickles: 1 cup julienned carrot, 1 cup julienned daikon, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp salt
- Nước chấm: 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup fish sauce, 1/4 cup sugar, 3 tbsp lime juice, 1 garlic clove, 1 bird’s eye chili
- For serving: cucumber and tomato slices, fried shallots (optional)
Do This
- 1. Mix pickling brine; add carrot and daikon. Rest 30–60 minutes. Stir together nước chấm and set aside.
- 2. Pound lemongrass, garlic, shallot; mix with sauces, sugar, honey, oil, pepper. Coat chops; marinate 2 hours (or up to overnight).
- 3. Rinse rice; cook with 2.4 cups water. Steam 12 minutes, rest 10, fluff.
- 4. Heat oil; pour over chopped scallions with salt to make scallion oil.
- 5. Simmer pork shoulder 15–20 minutes and pork skin 20–25 minutes. Shred; toss with fish sauce, sugar, pepper, and toasted rice powder.
- 6. Mix chả trứng; steam 25 minutes, glaze with yolk, steam 3 minutes more. Cool and slice.
- 7. Grill chops over medium-high (450°F) 4–5 minutes per side to 145–150°F. Plate rice, pork, chả, bì, pickles; spoon scallion oil and drizzle nước chấm.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- All the hallmark textures of a Saigon cơm tấm plate: smoky pork, tender egg patty, springy bì, fluffy rice, and crisp pickles.
- Balanced flavors—savory, sweet, tangy, and aromatic—thanks to lemongrass marinade, scallion oil, and bright nước chấm.
- Restaurant-level presentation with home-cook-friendly steps, exact measurements, and make-ahead components.
- Flexible cooking methods for grilling, pan-searing, or air-frying.
Grocery List
- Produce: Lemongrass, garlic, shallots, scallions, carrots, daikon, limes, bird’s eye chilies, cucumbers, tomatoes, dried wood ear mushrooms
- Dairy: Eggs
- Pantry: Broken rice (or jasmine), fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, honey, rice vinegar, neutral oil, black pepper, salt, toasted rice powder (or jasmine rice to toast/grind), dried glass noodles (cellophane), optional fried shallots
Full Ingredients
Lemongrass Grilled Pork Chops (Sườn Nướng)
- 4 bone-in pork chops, 1/2 inch thick (2–2.5 lb total)
- 2 lemongrass stalks, tender cores finely minced (about 2 heaping tbsp)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Broken Rice
- 2 cups broken rice (or jasmine rice, lightly crushed)
- 2.4 cups water (1.2:1 water-to-rice by volume)
- Pinch of salt (optional)
Bì (Shredded Pork Skin)
- 8 oz pork skin, cleaned
- 6 oz pork shoulder or pork loin
- 2 tbsp toasted rice powder (thính gạo)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Pinch of salt
Chả Trứng (Steamed Egg–Pork Patty)
- 300 g ground pork (about 10.5 oz)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 large egg yolk (for glaze)
- 20 g dried glass noodles (cellophane), soaked and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked and finely chopped (about 2 tbsp)
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground white or black pepper
Scallion Oil (Mỡ Hành)
- 1/3 cup neutral oil
- 1/3 cup finely sliced scallions
- 1/4 tsp salt
Đồ Chua (Quick Pickled Carrot & Daikon)
- 1 cup julienned carrot
- 1 cup julienned daikon
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp fine salt
Nước Chấm (Fish Sauce Dressing)
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 bird’s eye chili, thinly sliced (seeded for less heat)
For Serving
- 1 small cucumber, sliced
- 1 tomato, sliced
- Fried shallots (optional)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the quick pickles and nước chấm
In a bowl, whisk 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 tsp salt until dissolved. Add 1 cup julienned carrot and 1 cup julienned daikon; chill at least 30 minutes (up to 2 days). For nước chấm, dissolve 1/4 cup sugar in 1/2 cup warm water, then stir in 1/4 cup fish sauce and 3 tbsp lime juice. Add minced garlic and sliced chili; taste for a bright balance of sweet, salty, and sour and adjust if needed. Set aside.
Step 2: Marinate the pork chops
In a mortar and pestle or food processor, pound or pulse lemongrass, garlic, and shallot to a coarse paste. Stir in fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, honey, oil, and black pepper. Lightly pound pork chops to an even 1/2 inch thickness. Coat thoroughly with the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from the fridge 20–30 minutes before cooking.
Step 3: Cook the broken rice
Rinse 2 cups broken rice under cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Drain well and combine with 2.4 cups water and a pinch of salt in a rice cooker or saucepan. If using stovetop: bring to a gentle boil, cover, and reduce to low; steam for 12 minutes. Turn off heat and rest, covered, 10 minutes. Fluff with a rice paddle and keep warm.
Step 4: Make scallion oil
Place sliced scallions and salt in a heatproof bowl. Heat 1/3 cup oil in a small pan until shimmering (not smoking), then carefully pour over the scallions and stir. Alternatively, microwave oil and scallions together for 30–45 seconds until sizzling. Keep warm.
Step 5: Prepare the bì (shredded pork skin)
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add pork shoulder and pork skin with a pinch of salt. Simmer the shoulder until just cooked through, 15–20 minutes (145°F internal), then remove and cool. Continue simmering the skin until tender but springy, 20–25 minutes. Shock the skin in ice water, pat dry, and scrape off excess fat from the underside. Slice both pork and skin into fine matchsticks. Toss with 1 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp pepper, a pinch of salt, then sprinkle in 2 tbsp toasted rice powder and toss until lightly coated. Chill until serving.
Step 6: Steam the chả trứng
Soak glass noodles and wood ear mushrooms in warm water for 10–15 minutes; drain. Cut noodles into 1-inch pieces and finely chop mushrooms. In a bowl, mix ground pork, 2 beaten eggs, shallot, fish sauce, sugar, pepper, noodles, and mushrooms until cohesive. Line a 7-inch square pan or small loaf pan with parchment; spread the mixture evenly. Steam over medium heat for 25 minutes. Whisk the yolk with 1 tsp water and brush over the top; steam 3 minutes more until glossy and set. Cool 5 minutes, then slice into rectangles.
Step 7: Grill the lemongrass pork chops
Preheat a grill to medium-high (about 450°F) or heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Lightly oil the grates or pan. Wipe excess marinade from the surface of the chops to prevent burning. Grill 4–5 minutes per side, rotating once for cross-hatch marks, until the thickest part reads 145–150°F. Rest on a plate for 5 minutes. If you want to brush with marinade, boil the leftover marinade for 1 minute first to make it safe, then brush lightly in the last minute of cooking.
Step 8: Assemble and serve
Scoop a mound of broken rice onto each plate; spoon over 1–2 tsp scallion oil. Add one grilled pork chop, a slice or two of chả trứng, and a small pile of bì. Garnish with cucumber and tomato slices and a pinch of fried shallots if using. Serve with a generous side of đồ chua and a ramekin of nước chấm; drizzle 1–2 tbsp sauce over the rice and pork right before eating.
Pro Tips
- Trim the pork chops of thick surface moisture before grilling; dry surfaces sear better and reduce flare-ups from sugary marinades.
- For cleaner bì, scrape away the fatty layer under the skin after simmering; partially freezing the skin for 10 minutes makes fine slicing easier.
- Rinse rice thoroughly; small broken grains release extra starch. The 1.2:1 water ratio keeps it fluffy, not mushy.
- Toasted rice powder adds fragrance and prevents clumping in bì. Make your own by toasting raw jasmine rice golden and grinding to a coarse powder.
- Glazing chả with egg yolk creates the classic glossy yellow top and seals in moisture—do not skip the final 3-minute steam.
Variations
- Air fryer pork chops: 400°F for 10–12 minutes, flipping at 6 minutes, until 145–150°F; brush with boiled marinade in the last minute.
- Baked chả trứng: Bake in a water bath at 350°F for 30–35 minutes until set; glaze with yolk and bake 3 minutes more.
- Gluten-free: Use tamari instead of soy sauce and a gluten-free oyster sauce; everything else is naturally gluten-free.
Storage & Make-Ahead
Marinate pork chops up to 24 hours ahead. Đồ chua keeps 1–2 weeks refrigerated. Nước chấm keeps 1 week refrigerated. Chả trứng and bì can be made 1–2 days ahead; rewarm chả gently by steaming 5 minutes. Store scallion oil in the fridge up to 4 days and rewarm briefly to liquefy. Cooked pork chops keep 3 days chilled; reheat covered at 300°F for 10 minutes or in a microwave at 50% power until warm. Rice is best fresh, but can be cooled quickly and refrigerated up to 2 days; reheat with a splash of water.
Nutrition (per serving)
Approximate values: 1,300 calories; 60 g protein; 100 g carbohydrates; 65 g fat; 2,300–2,700 mg sodium. Values will vary by portion size, cut of pork, and how much sauce/oil is used.
