Com Tam Suon Nuong

Ingredients

• 4 thin-cut pork chops, about 180g each
• 3 lemongrass stalks, finely minced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 400g broken rice
• 6 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 4 tbsp neutral oil, for the scallion oil
• 60ml fish sauce, for nuoc cham
• 60g sugar, for nuoc cham
• 60ml lime juice
• 180ml water
• 2 garlic cloves and 1 chilli, minced
• 1 carrot and 1 daikon, julienned and quick-pickled
• Cucumber and tomato slices, to serve

Before you cook

• Pound the pork chops lightly with the flat of a heavy knife so they are an even 1cm thick
• Mince the lemongrass extremely finely, discarding the tough outer layers
• Rinse the broken rice twice only, since it releases starch quickly and you want it to stay soft
• Julienne the carrot and daikon and toss them with 2 tbsp sugar and 3 tbsp rice vinegar to pickle
• Slice the spring onions thinly for the scallion oil

Steps

1. Blend the lemongrass, garlic, shallots, fish sauce, honey, soy sauce, oyster sauce, pepper and oil into a marinade.
2. Rub the marinade into both sides of the pork chops and leave them to sit for at least forty minutes.
3. Cook the broken rice with a slightly generous amount of water, about 1.2 times the volume of the rice, until tender.
4. Make the scallion oil by heating four tablespoons of oil until it shimmers, then pouring it straight over the sliced spring onions in a heatproof bowl.
5. Whisk the nuoc cham ingredients together until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the minced garlic and chilli.
6. Heat a grill or a heavy griddle pan until it is smoking lightly.
7. Lay the chops down and cook them for four minutes without moving them.
8. Turn the chops, brush them with any leftover marinade, and cook for another four minutes until the edges are dark and caramelised.
9. Rest the chops on a board for five minutes.
10. Mound the hot broken rice onto four plates and spoon scallion oil over each pile.
11. Lay a pork chop alongside, then add drained pickles, cucumber and tomato.
12. Serve each plate with a small bowl of nuoc cham to spoon over the rice as you eat.