Cơm tấm sườn bì chả Sài Gòn — Saigon broken rice with pork chop, pork-skin shreds and egg loaf

Prepare the mushrooms and noodles. Soak the wood-ear mushrooms in hot water until pliable, about 15 minutes; drain and chop finely. Soak the glass noodles in warm water until flexible, drain and cut into short lengths. Keep the raw pork chilled and separate from ready-to-eat produce.

Marinate the chops. Mix the 25 ml fish sauce, lemongrass, 10 g garlic, 20 g shallot, 18 g sugar, 10 ml oil and pepper. Coat the chops, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Do not reserve raw marinade for serving.

Make the pickles and dip. Dissolve 20 g sugar and 2 g salt in the vinegar, then add the carrot and daikon. Set aside. For the dipping sauce, dissolve 30 g sugar in the warm water, then stir in 45 ml fish sauce, lime juice, 6 g garlic and optional chili.

Steam the chả. Combine the ground pork, 2 whole eggs plus the remaining egg white, mushrooms, noodles, 15 g shallot, 10 ml fish sauce and pepper. Press into a lightly oiled heatproof loaf pan. Steam covered over simmering water until the center reaches 71°C / 160°F, about 25–30 minutes depending on the pan depth. Brush the reserved yolk over the top and steam uncovered for 2–3 minutes until set. Rest 10 minutes, then slice. Keep covered and hot for serving.

Prepare the bì. Gently simmer the 120 g lean pork loin until it reaches 71°C / 160°F. Transfer to a clean plate, rest briefly and cool promptly; refrigerate if it will not be used within 2 hours. When cool enough to handle, slice and shred finely. Slice the fully cooked pork skin into fine threads. Toss skin and pork with the toasted rice powder, 5 ml fish sauce and 0.5 g pepper; keep chilled until shortly before serving.

Cook the rice and scallion oil. Cook the rice in a rice cooker or covered saucepan according to the package instructions. Fluff when tender. Heat the 25 ml oil until hot but not smoking, pour it over the sliced scallions and stir.

Grill the chops. Heat a grill, grill pan or broiler to medium-high. Remove chops from the marinade and discard the marinade. Grill, turning once, until browned and the center of each chop reaches 63°C / 145°F. Rest on a clean plate for at least 3 minutes. Return any undercooked chop to the heat; do not judge safety by appearance alone.

Plate and store safely. Serve each portion of hot rice with one chop, a slice of chả, some bì, scallion oil, drained pickles and fresh cucumber. Offer the nước mắm pha on the side. Refrigerate perishable leftovers within 2 hours (1 hour above 32°C / 90°F); reheat pork, chả and rice to 74°C / 165°F.