Vietnamese National Dishes

Cơm lam gà sa lửa, Kon Tum (charcoal chicken with bamboo-tube rice)

Name: Cơm lam gà sa lửa, Kon Tum (charcoal chicken with bamboo-tube rice)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 345 min
Cuisine: Vietnam
Ingredients: 400 g glutinous rice, rinsed; 1,500 ml potable water, for soaking; discard after soaking; 420 ml potable water; 4 clean fresh bamboo tubes, about 18–22 cm long and 4–5 cm wide, one end closed; 4 small food-safe banana-leaf plugs; 1.3 kg small whole chicken, giblets removed; 25 g tender lemongrass, finely minced; use 35 g if forest pepper leaf is unavailable; 25 g shallot, finely minced; 12 g garlic, finely minced; 15 g lá tiêu rừng (local forest pepper leaf), finely chopped; or use 10 g additional lemongrass; 8 g red chilli, finely minced; use less for a milder flavour; 20 ml fish sauce; 20 g honey; 6 g fine salt; 2 g ground black pepper; 1 g five-spice powder; 10 ml neutral oil, for brushing the chicken skin; 60 g unsalted roasted peanuts; 3 g fine salt; 5 g granulated sugar; 200 g cucumber, thinly sliced; 30 g Vietnamese coriander (rau răm), washed and dried

Cơm lam gà sa lửa brings together two Central Highlands favourites: sticky rice cooked inside fresh bamboo and chicken roasted over charcoal. In this measured Kon Tum home version, a small butterflied chicken is rubbed with lemongrass, shallot, garlic, chilli, fish sauce, honey and local forest pepper leaves, then grilled until the skin is browned and the meat is safely cooked. The bamboo rice is cooked beside the coals, turned as it warms, and served with a simple crushed-peanut salt.

Vietnamese National Dishes

Charcoal-grilled butterflied chicken beside white sticky rice in a split bamboo tube, with cucumber, rau răm and peanut salt. — Cơm lam gà sa lửa from Kon Tum, served with bamboo-cooked sticky rice, peanut salt and fresh accompaniments.

Yield 4 substantial servings

Cook time About 60 minutes

Passive time 4 hours to soak the rice in the refrigerator; the chicken marinates for 1 hour during that time

Total time About 5 hours 45 minutes

Calories per serving About 990 kcal

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Cơm lam gà sa lửa, Kon Tum (charcoal chicken with bamboo-tube rice)

Recipes and restaurant versions vary. Some use a little sa tế, upland rice mixed with glutinous rice, or other forest leaves. This version keeps the rice glutinous and uses lá tiêu rừng where available; the leaf has a local aromatic role but sources do not consistently identify its botanical species. If you cannot find it, use the listed extra lemongrass. Butterflying the chicken is a practical home-grill adaptation that helps it cook evenly while keeping the open-fire character of the dish.

Practical

Tips for successChoose sound, fresh bamboo tubes with one closed end. Wash them well and discard any tube that is cracked, mouldy or damaged. Leave at least one-quarter of each tube empty so the rice can expand. Keep the tube openings plugged with clean banana leaf while the rice cooks. Set up a two-zone charcoal grill. Cook the tubes and chicken mostly beside the hottest coals rather than in tall, licking flames; honey can darken quickly. Turn the bamboo tubes about every 10 minutes so the rice cooks evenly. Let them rest before opening because hot steam escapes from the plug. Check the chicken with a thermometer in the thickest breast and innermost thigh, away from bone. Colour and clear juices alone do not confirm a safe temperature.

Ingredients

Bamboo-tube rice

400 g glutinous rice, rinsed
1,500 ml potable water, for soaking; discard after soaking
420 ml potable water
4 clean fresh bamboo tubes, about 18–22 cm long and 4–5 cm wide, one end closed
4 small food-safe banana-leaf plugs

Forest-herb charcoal chicken

1.3 kg small whole chicken, giblets removed
25 g tender lemongrass, finely minced; use 35 g if forest pepper leaf is unavailable
25 g shallot, finely minced
12 g garlic, finely minced
15 g lá tiêu rừng (local forest pepper leaf), finely chopped; or use 10 g additional lemongrass
8 g red chilli, finely minced; use less for a milder flavour
20 ml fish sauce
20 g honey
6 g fine salt
2 g ground black pepper
1 g five-spice powder
10 ml neutral oil, for brushing the chicken skin

Peanut salt

60 g unsalted roasted peanuts
3 g fine salt
5 g granulated sugar

Fresh accompaniments

200 g cucumber, thinly sliced
30 g Vietnamese coriander (rau răm), washed and dried

Method

Soak the rice. Rinse the glutinous rice until the water is mostly clear. Cover it with 1,500 ml cold potable water and soak in the refrigerator for 4 hours. Drain well before filling the tubes.
Butterfly the chicken. With poultry shears, cut down both sides of the backbone and remove it. Open the chicken flat. Keep raw poultry at or below 4°C and use a separate board and utensils.
Marinate the chicken. Mix the lemongrass, shallot, garlic, forest pepper leaf, chilli, fish sauce, honey, salt, black pepper and five-spice. Rub the mixture over both sides of the chicken and under the skin. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. If you cannot find lá tiêu rừng, use 10 g additional lemongrass instead.
Fill the bamboo tubes. Wash and inspect four food-grade fresh bamboo tubes. Discard any that are cracked, mouldy or damaged. Put 100 g drained rice in each tube, leaving at least one-quarter empty for expansion. Add 105 ml water to each and plug the opening with a clean banana leaf. Do not pack the rice tightly.
Prepare the grill. Arrange the charcoal for a medium-heat indirect zone and a hotter direct zone. Keep the lid nearby to control flare-ups. Wait until the coals glow and no large flames are licking the food.
Cook the bamboo rice. Set the sealed tubes beside the coals over indirect heat. Turn each tube a quarter-turn about every 10 minutes. Cook for 45–60 minutes, until the bamboo has browned in places, steam escapes gently at the plug and the rice is tender throughout. Move a tube away from direct flame if it scorches or cracks. Rest the tubes for 10 minutes before opening.
Grill the chicken. Remove the chicken from its marinade and discard the marinade. Pat the skin dry and brush it lightly with the oil. Grill skin-side up over indirect medium heat, turning the bird as needed, for about 40–55 minutes depending on its size and the grill. Finish skin-side down over direct heat for 1–3 minutes, watching closely because the honey can burn.
Check doneness and rest. Insert a food thermometer into the thickest part of each breast and the innermost thigh, avoiding bone; each must reach at least 74°C. If you cook the bird whole rather than butterflied, also check the innermost wing. Return any under-temperature part to the grill and recheck. Rest the chicken for 10 minutes, then cut into four portions.
Make the peanut salt. Coarsely crush the roasted peanuts and mix with the salt and sugar. Transfer to a clean serving dish.
Open and serve. Open the rested bamboo tubes carefully, away from your face, because steam escapes. Cut each tube into serving sections or peel the bamboo back from the rice. Serve each plate with a chicken portion, one rice portion, cucumber, Vietnamese coriander and peanut salt. Refrigerate perishable leftovers within 2 hours at or below 4°C; use within 3 days and reheat chicken and rice to 74°C.

Practical

Practical guidance

Start soaking the rice and marinating the chicken early; their refrigerator time overlaps. Set out the grill and prepare the peanut salt while the chicken cooks. Fresh lá tiêu rừng may be difficult to find outside the Central Highlands. The additional lemongrass substitution keeps the marinade aromatic without guessing at another leaf's identity. If you do not have a charcoal grill, use a covered gas grill on medium indirect heat. A hot oven can cook the butterflied chicken, but the bamboo rice still needs a grill or a safe outdoor coal bed. Bamboo thickness and grill heat vary, so the rice may need more or less than an hour. Use the browned tube, gentle steam and tender rice as cues, and keep turning the tubes. Keep raw-chicken tongs and boards away from cooked chicken, bamboo rice and fresh cucumber. Wash hands and tools after handling raw poultry.

Troubleshooting

The rice is hard in the centre: It may not have soaked long enough or the tubes may have been turned unevenly. Keep them over indirect heat, turn regularly and continue cooking until the grains are tender. A bamboo tube scorches or splits: Move it farther from the coals. Use sound, moderately thick tubes and avoid direct flame; discard rice if ash or debris gets inside. The chicken skin darkens before the centre is done: Move the bird to the cooler indirect zone, cover the grill and continue cooking until the breast and thigh reach 74°C. The peanut salt tastes too salty: Add a little more crushed peanut rather than extra sugar, and serve it as a dip so diners can control how much they use.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make the bamboo rice without bamboo? Bamboo gives cơm lam its distinctive aroma and presentation. If you cannot source clean food-grade tubes, cook the glutinous rice in a covered pot and serve it with the same grilled chicken, while recognizing that it is a practical substitute for the tube-cooked rice. Is lá tiêu rừng the same as Thai basil or lá é? The sources identify it as a local fragrant leaf but do not consistently establish its botanical identity. This recipe keeps its Vietnamese name and suggests extra lemongrass when it is unavailable rather than treating another leaf as identical. Can I roast the chicken ahead? You can cook it ahead, chill it promptly and reheat portions to 74°C. For the best crisp skin, serve it soon after grilling and keep the bamboo rice wrapped until serving.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

Serving sizeOne quarter chicken, 100 g dry glutinous rice, peanut salt, cucumber and Vietnamese coriander
CaloriesAbout 990 kcal
CarbohydrateAbout 90 g
ProteinAbout 65 g
FatAbout 38 g
FibreAbout 3 g
SodiumAbout 1,400 mg

Allergens and food safety

Contains peanuts and fish sauce. Check packaged fish sauce and spice labels for other allergens or cross-contact. Keep raw chicken at or below 4°C and separate from cooked food and ready-to-eat produce. Marinate it covered in the refrigerator and discard marinade that touched the raw bird. Wash and sanitize hands, boards, utensils and the thermometer after contact with raw poultry. Cook chicken to at least 74°C, checking the thickest breast and innermost thigh away from bone; if cooking the bird whole rather than butterflied, also check the innermost wing. Use clean food-grade bamboo tubes only and discard damaged or mouldy ones. Turn the tubes with clean tongs and open them carefully because hot steam escapes. Refrigerate cooked chicken and rice in shallow covered containers within 2 hours at or below 4°C; use within 3 days and reheat to 74°C.

To finish

Serve the chicken hot beside the bamboo rice, with peanut salt and fresh rau răm.
Let diners peel back the bamboo and dip or sprinkle the rice and chicken to taste.

Cơm lam gà sa lửa, Kon Tum (charcoal chicken with bamboo-tube rice)

Practical

Ingredients

Bamboo-tube rice

Forest-herb charcoal chicken

Peanut salt

Fresh accompaniments

Method

Practical

Practical guidance

Troubleshooting

Frequently asked questions

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

Allergens and food safety

To finish

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Bánh canh chả cá Đà Nẵng (Da Nang thick noodles with fish cakes)