Cơm Tấm (Vietnamese Broken Rice)

Method

1. 1Pickle the vegetables. Cut the carrot and daikon into matchsticks about 5 mm thick. Toss with the salt and 1 teaspoon of the sugar and knead by hand for about 3 minutes, until a piece of daikon bends without snapping. Rinse under cold water and squeeze out the liquid. Stir the rice vinegar, the water and the rest of the sugar until dissolved, pour over the vegetables and leave for at least 30 minutes. They keep in the fridge, in their brine, for up to 2 weeks and are crispest in the first few days.
2. 2Marinate the pork chops. Pound each chop with a meat mallet or the back of a heavy knife to about 1 to 1.5 cm thick; this tenderises the meat and gives the marinade more surface to caramelise. Score the fat cap lightly if there is one, so the chop does not curl. Combine the fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, honey, lemongrass, garlic, shallots and 1 tablespoon of oil in a bowl, add the chops and coat thoroughly. Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight for deeper flavour.
3. 3Cook the broken rice. Rinse the rice under cold water until it runs clear. In a rice cooker use 1 part water to 1 part rice by volume: for 400 g of rice, about 480 ml of water. On the stove, bring the rice and the same amount of water to a boil, turn the heat to the lowest setting, cover tightly and steam without lifting the lid for 12 to 15 minutes; broken rice cooks faster than whole grains. It is done when the water has been absorbed and small steam holes have formed on the surface. Rest 5 minutes covered, then fluff with a fork.
4. 4Grill the pork chops. Heat a grill pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and brush with 1 tablespoon of the frying oil. Let the excess marinade drip off the chops, because the sugar scorches quickly. Discard the marinade left in the bowl. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side without moving them. After 3 minutes lift a corner: the underside should be deep brown with darker edges, and if it is turning black, lower the heat. The chops, about 1 to 1.5 cm thick, are done when the thickest part, away from the bone, reads 63°C (145°F): the meat feels firm and the centre may still be faintly pink. Rest 5 minutes. A charcoal grill gives the closest result to street-stall cơm tấm.
5. 5Make the scallion oil. Pat the sliced scallion greens completely dry, because water makes hot oil spit, and put them in a small, deep heatproof bowl with a pinch of salt. Heat the oil in a small pan until it shimmers and a slice of scallion dropped in sizzles at once; it does not need to smoke. Pour the hot oil over the scallions slowly, keeping your face and hands back — they will sizzle and release a vivid green fragrance. Stir and set aside.
6. 6Fry the eggs, make the nước chấm and assemble. Fry the eggs in the other tablespoon of oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the whites are set with crisp edges and the yolks are still runny; do this last so the eggs are hot. Dissolve the sugar in the warm water, then add the fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and chilli. Taste: on its own it should seem a little too sweet and too sour, because the rice and pork will dilute it. To plate, press a portion of rice into a small bowl and invert it onto a plate for a domed shape. Lean a pork chop against the rice. Arrange cucumber and tomato around the edge. Add the pickles and a fried egg. Drizzle scallion oil over the rice and meat. Serve the nước chấm in a small bowl to spoon over as you eat.