Com Tam in Saigon: Broken Rice Plates Explained
Read the plate before you order, and ask for the toppings that suit your meal.
Com tam is Saigon’s broken rice plate: soft, small-grained rice under a grilled meat with a few sides and a bowl of dipping sauce. The grilled pork chop is the headline, so pork-free eaters need to choose their toppings. You can build a good plate from what remains.
What is on a typical plate?
Look at the plate in layers.
- Rice: broken grains, soft and slightly fluffy.
- Grilled meat: a pork chop is the classic. Chicken and other meats are on offer too.
- Shredded pork skin: a fine, chewy topping.
- Egg and pork cake: a steamed slab with a golden top.
- Fried egg: optional, and easy to add.
- Fresh and pickled sides: cucumber, tomato and pickles.
- Dipping sauce: sweet and savoury fish sauce in a small bowl, which you spoon over the rice.
Spoon the sauce a little at a time. The rice drinks it up, and a flooded plate loses its texture.
Where does it fit in a Saigon day?
Plan it as a breakfast or lunch. It is a satisfying plate, so it works as a main meal when you will be walking the city afterwards. Our Ho Chi Minh City guide shows where to base yourself, and South Vietnam for food lovers suggests how to fit meals around your days.
How do you order a no-pork plate?
Ask for the toppings that suit you, and say it before the cook assembles the plate.
- Grilled chicken: com tam ga nuong.
- Fried egg: com tam trung.
- No pork: khong thit heo.
- No egg cake or pork skin: point and say no, or check the plate before you pay.
The grill is the catch. Stalls can cook chops and chicken side by side, and the sauce and pickles can be shared. We cannot name any stall as holding a halal certificate, and a verbal promise at a street stall is not a reliable check.
What if halal matters to your group?
The classic plate is built around pork. Treat it as unsuitable unless you can confirm how the stall works. The Saigon Central Mosque, originally the India Jamia Muslim Mosque, was completed in 19351. It is a useful anchor when you look for Muslim-owned places in the city, but confirm food arrangements with the community before you go.
Read meal and prayer checks for Muslim travellers for the questions to ask and what a displayed certificate means.
What should you check at a stall?
Choose a busy stall with fast turnover and a clean grill. Our street food hygiene guide lists what to look for. If you also want a noodle lunch, compare with Hanoi and Saigon pho.
Browse more dishes under food and daily travel, and message us to plan meals around your Saigon days.
Tell us who is eating and how strict you are about pork, and we can suggest how to plan Saigon meals that suit your group.
Common questions
What does com tam mean?
Com tam means broken rice. The grains are the small, snapped pieces left after milling, cooked soft and slightly fluffy. A plate usually pairs them with a grilled meat, a few sides and a small bowl of dipping sauce. Locals eat it for breakfast or lunch.
What is on a typical plate?
A grilled pork chop is the usual star, with shredded pork skin, a steamed egg-and-pork cake, a fried egg, cucumber and tomato, and pickles on the side. A small bowl of sweet fish sauce sits next to it. You can swap or skip several of these.
How do I order a no-pork plate?
Say com tam ga nuong for grilled chicken, or add trung for a fried egg. Say khong thit heo to leave out pork. Check that your plate has no pork skin or egg cake on it, and ask about the grill, which can cook chops and chicken together.
Is com tam suitable for Muslim travellers?
The classic plate is built around pork, so it is not suitable by default. A chicken or egg version is possible but the grill and boards may be shared. We cannot say any stall holds a halal certificate, so use our meal and prayer checks to choose.
Sources
- Saigon Central Mosque (originally the India Jamia Muslim Mosque) was completed in 1935; construction began 21 December 1934. Wikipedia
Keep planning
Tell us who is eating and how strict you are about pork, and we can suggest how to plan Saigon meals that suit your group.