• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Cooking Therapy logo
  • About Me
    • Work With Me
    • Contact
    • Disclaimer
  • Subscribe
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • 30 Minute Meals
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Drinks
    • Main Dishes
      • Beef
      • Chicken & Poultry
      • Fish & Seafood
      • Pork
      • Tofu
    • Noodle Bowls & Soups
    • Side Dishes
    • Salads
    • Dips & Sauces
    • Sweets & Desserts
      • Bars & Brownies
      • Cakes
      • Candy & Confectionary
      • Cookies
      • Curds & Custards
      • Donuts
      • Ice Cream
      • Mochi
      • Pies & Tarts
  • Restaurant Guides
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Search
  • Recipe Index
  • About Me
  • Restaurant Guides
  • Subscribe
  • Work With Me
  • Contact
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Side Dishes
    Jan 26, 2023(updated Apr 21, 2023)

    How to Cook Vietnamese Broken Rice (Com Tam)

    5 from 2 votes

    Leave a comment

    by Becca Du

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Vietnamese broken rice is a cornerstone of Vietnamese cuisine especially when you talk about Com Tam or Vietnamese rice dishes. Included in this post is a step-by-step guide on how to make broken rice, what it means to Vietnamese cuisine, and which dishes to serve it with.

    Grains of Vietnamese broken rice on a plate.

    Com tam is something I loved growing up. The term “com tam” refers to Vietnamese broken rice, and is often used to describe the whole category of Vietnamese rice dishes. When you think of these dishes, you probably think com suon, com ga, or com bi. I personally loved com suon or Vietnamese broken rice served with grilled pork. It is not only filling but also comforting.

    Vietnamese broken rice on a plate.

    What is Vietnamese broken rice or com tam?

    These rice dishes are a huge part of Vietnamese cuisine. Broken rice refers to the pieces of rice that break apart in the milling process. In Vietnam, they are often seen as less desirable than whole grains of rice. My mom used to tell me that broken rice was consumed mostly by the poorest people because they could not afford regular rice. Ironically in Western countries like the US, broken rice is often more expensive than regular rice.

    What does it taste like?

    Broken rice tastes the same as regular rice, but because they are smaller than long grain rice, the texture is a bit different. To me, the texture is almost like eating fish roe without the fishy flavor. Because of the size of each grain, they also tend to soak in flavors better. When people eat com tam, they often drizzle nuoc cham over the rice and then eat it with whatever protein is on the plate. The taste of nuoc cham on the rice is nothing like anything I’ve ever tasted before.

    Vietnamese broken rice pouring out of a measuring cup onto a plate.

    How to cook Vietnamese broken rice

    There are 2 methods to make broken rice: on the stove top and in a rice cooker. Personally, I think the easier method is to make it in a rice cooker because you set it and forget it. However, I included both in case you don’t have a rice cooker!

    Rinsed broken rice
    Rinse the broken rice
    Water and broken rice in a small sauce pan.
    Pour water over the rice and bring to a simmer.

    Cooking broken rice on the stove top

    First, add broken rice to a pan. Rinse the rice until water runs clear (2-3 times). Add the water to pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.

    Rinsed broken rice
    Rinse the broken rice
    Broken rice and water in the bowl of a rice cooker
    Pour water over rice and set the rice cooker to “cook” setting

    Cooking broken rice in a rice cooker

    First, add broken rice to the bowl of a rice cooker. Rinse the rice until water runs clear (2-3 times). Add the water to the bowl and put the lid on. Change the setting to cook or press the white rice setting. The rice cooker will do the rest and signal you when the rice is done.

    A bag of Vietnamese broken rice

    Tips on how to cook Vietnamese broken rice

    Rinse the rice until the water runs clear

    This is a really important step to making any white rice because it helps rinse away any of the nasty bits around the rice and removes excess starch. If you don’t rinse the rice, the resulting texture of the cooked rice becomes sticky and mushy.

    Make a test batch of your rice

    Every single brand of white rice is different, so the amount of water you will need will be different. I recommend making a test batch of your rice if you haven’t cooked it before, so you know how much water you will need.

    com suon
    Com Suon
    Vietnamese lemongrass chicken
    Com Ga
    cha trung hap
    Cha Trung Hap
    pickled vegetables
    Pickled Vegetables

    Dishes served with Vietnamese broken rice

    A plate of com tam typically consists of Vietnamese broken rice, some sort of protein like pork or chicken, pickled vegetables (typically pickled carrots and daikon), fresh cucumbers, fresh tomatoes, sometimes cha trung hap, and nuoc cham for dipping and drizzling on the rice. The rice is also garnished with a drizzle of scallion oil or Mo Hanh. There are a lot of variations on the protein that’s served, and you can usually find the protein in the name of the dish. For example, Com Suon is Vietnamese broken rice served with grilled pork. “Com” is the Vietnamese word for rice and “Suon” is the word for Grilled Pork Chop. Similarly, Com Ga is Vietnamese broken rice served with chicken.

    When we make com tam at home, we often change what we include on the plate. Sometimes we won’t have fresh cucumbers and just have pickled vegetables. Sometimes we’ll have cha trung hap with the rice, and sometimes we won’t. I think the most important components to have on a plate of com tam is a protein, broken rice, and some sort of vegetable. You need all those components for balance.

    Cooked broken rice in a bowl.

    Did you make this dish?

    If you made this dish, I would love to see!

    Follow Cooking Therapy on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag and hashtag it with @cooking__therapy and #beccascookingtherapy.

    Stay connected and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all my latest recipes.

    Disclaimer: If you purchase anything through a link on this site, I may receive a small commission from the purchase at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I would personally use. Thank you so much for the support!

    Grains of Vietnamese broken rice on a plate.

    How to Cook Vietnamese Broken Rice (Com Tam)

    Becca Du
    A detailed step by step guide on how to make Vietnamese Broken Rice or Com Tam.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine Vietnamese
    Servings 4 people
    Calories 338 kcal

    Equipment

    • Rice Cooker

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 cups broken rice
    • 2 cups water

    Instructions
     

    • Add broken rice to a pan.
    • Rinse the rice until water runs clear (2-3 times).
    • Add the water to the pan and bring to a simmer.
    • Simmer for 15-20 minutes until cooked through.

    Notes

    For instructions on how to make this with a rice cooker, see above in the blog post.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 338kcalCarbohydrates: 74gProtein: 7gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.2gSodium: 11mgPotassium: 106mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.1gCalcium: 29mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword broken rice recipe, com tam, com tam recipe, Vietnamese broken rice
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    If you love this post, share it!
      18    
    VietnameseDairy-FreeGluten-FreeVeganVegetarianFallHolidaysLunar New YearSpringSummerWinterRice

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    About Me


    Hello I'm Becca! I believe any day can be made better with a bowl of noodle soup. Here you will find recipes from my Chinese/Vietnamese heritage and stories from my experience living here in beautiful LA. Grab a drink and stay awhile! Read More

    Never Miss A Post!

    Subscribe to get monthly doses of cooking inspiration and foodie goodness in our inbox.

    Quick Dinners

    Tomato corn salad on a white plate.

    15-Minute Vietnamese Inspired Tomato Corn Salad

    Vietnamese noodle bowl with lemongrass chicken or Bun Ga Nuong on a wooden table with mo hanh and nuoc cham on the side.

    Vietnamese Noodle Bowls with Lemongrass Chicken (Bun Ga Nuong)

    5 ginger soy eggs on rice served in a bowl

    Ginger Soy Marinated Eggs

    Search

    Footer

    Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Terms & Conditions · All Rights Reserved

    Copyright © 2023 · Cooking Therapy