Com Tam Suon — Saigon Broken Rice with Grilled Lemongrass Pork Chops

Rinse the broken rice until the water runs mostly clear. Cook in a rice cooker with a 1:1 ratio of rice to water, or slightly less water than you would use for regular jasmine rice. Broken rice absorbs less water.

Combine lemongrass, garlic, shallots, fish sauce, honey, soy sauce, vegetable oil, and black pepper in a bowl. Add the pork chops and massage the marinade into every surface. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the refrigerator for best results.

Toss the julienned carrot and daikon with rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and a pinch of salt. Let pickle for at least 20 minutes.

Prepare the nuoc cham by dissolving sugar in warm water, then stirring in fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, and chili.

Make scallion oil by heating vegetable oil in a small pan and adding sliced scallions. Cook until the scallions are just wilted and fragrant, about 1 minute. Set aside.

Grill the pork chops over high heat (or use a grill pan) for 4 to 5 minutes per side until beautifully charred and cooked through. The lemongrass marinade should caramelize into dark, sticky spots.

Let the pork chops rest for 3 minutes, then slice against the grain if desired, or serve whole.

Plate the broken rice on individual plates. Lean a grilled pork chop against the rice mound. Add a pile of pickled vegetables, cucumber and tomato slices on the side. Drizzle scallion oil over the rice and pour nuoc cham over everything.