Have you ever try Vietnamese Broken Rice before? This type of rice is actually my favourite thing to eat since I was little. I love it so much, I would not mind to have it instead of normal white rice every day haha. The reason why I adore this type of rice so much not only because of its delicious combination with Grilled Pork or Vietnamese Meatloaf, but also because of the unique texture that this rice has.
Why “broken”? Well, the name is also a very true definition of its physical state. Broken Rice is fragments of rice grains due to harvest, transportation or because of milling. In my opinion, because the rice is broken that is why it has a nuttier flavour than the normal rice, tastier and also absorb the sauce (nước mắm) better.
Why I first arrived in Mackay, I would never think I would be able to find Broken Rice here. But when I did, I felt like I just found a fortune haha. After that, every month, I will try to persuade Jenny to cook Broken Rice with Grilled Pork for me, since her recipe is really good. Let’s join Jenny in the kitchen today and cook up a storm of Vietnamese Broken Rice!
(Recipe video above)
THE RECIPE
Vietnamese Broken Rice w Grilled Pork
Serving 2-6 people
| Prep time | Cook time |
|---|---|
| 25 mins | 10 mins |
Ingredients:
A. Grilled Pork:
| Pork chops | 6 pieces |
| Minced lemongrass | 15g |
| Minced garlic | 15g |
| Minced shallot | 15g |
| Minced spring onion white part only | 15g |
| Soy sauce | 30ml |
| Fish sauce | 30ml |
| Đường | 25g |
| Honey | 10ml |
| Salt, pepper |
B.Sauce (nước mắm):
| Sugar | 62g |
| Fish sauce | 100ml |
| Water | 125ml |
| Lime juice | 1 lime |
Minced garlic and chillies can be added for extra kick and flavour.
Serving together: cucumber, fried eggs, vietnamese meatloaf (recipe coming next week), spring onion oil.
Method:
1. Mince lemongrass, garlic, shallot, spring onion white part finely, then set aside.
2. Mix together all the marinating seasonning, whisk together until the sugar is completely dissolved. The pork chops rinse and pat dry, then place in a big mixing bowl.
3. Add the minced lemongrass, garlic, shallot, spring onion and marinating seasonning into the pork. Mix well, make sure every piece is nicely coated. Then cover with cling wrap, marinade the pork for at least 3 hours or overnight for deeper flavour.
4. While waiting the pork to be marinated, we can make the sauce (nước mắm). Add all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk till combine.
5. Place a pot on the stove, add the mixture and bring it to the boil. When boiling, remove from the heat and allow it to cool down. Minced garlic and chillies can be added for extra flavour.
6. The pork can be grill over charcoal or pan-fried. To pan-fried the pork, place a pan over medium heat (do not let it become too hot, since there is sugar in the marinade, it may burn really quick). When the pan is slightly hot, add some oil, then add the pork.
7. Pan-fry the pork until one side is nicely caramelized then turn to the other side and do the same. When both sides are caramelized, then you can turn the pork more frequently until it is completely cooked.
8. Serve it immedietly with cooked broken rice, fried egg, Vietnamese meatloaf (recipe coming next week), spring onion oil, pickle vegetables, then drizzle the sauce