Cơm tấm chay
Local name : Cơm tấm chay
Broken rice served with grilled marinated tofu, pickled vegetables, scallion oil and a fish-free nuoc cham.
Photo : Bob Doran · CC BY 2.0
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Method
- Rinse the broken rice twice and cook it with slightly less water than long-grain rice, since cracked grains absorb less.
- Mix the soy sauce, sugar, garlic and pepper. Marinate the tofu slices in it for 20 minutes, turning them halfway.
- Steep the carrot and daikon julienne in the vinegar with a pinch of salt and sugar for at least 20 minutes.
- Heat the oil until it shimmers and pour it over the spring onions in a heatproof bowl. Salt this scented oil.
- Grill the tofu for 4 minutes a side on a very hot ridged pan, brushing it with the remaining marinade.
- Slacken 2 tbsp of the marinade with the lime juice, 4 tbsp water and the chilli to make the nuoc cham.
- Plate the rice, sit the tofu on top, add the drained pickles, spoon over the scallion oil and serve the nuoc cham alongside.
Broken rice comes from grains split during milling, long sold cheaply to Saigon labourers. They cook faster and drink less water. The nuoc cham is made here without fish sauce, with soy sauce carrying the salt.
