Celebration of Swine: Com Tam Suon Bi Cha (Vietnamese Broken Rice with Pork Chops and Shredded Pork Skin and Pork-Egg Custard)

Printable Recipe
Bi (Pork skin with shredded pork, roasted rice powder, and garlic powder)
- Approximately 1 lb Cooked, shredded pork skin. Found in Vietnamese /Asian grocery stores in the frozen section.
- 1/2 lb. pork shoulder or other nonfatty pork meat, cut in rectangles about 3 x 2 inches.
- ~3 oz. bag of thinh/roasted rice powder (found in spice section in Asian groceries)
- ~2 oz. garlic powder
- ~1 ts salt
First thaw the pork skin in the fridge the day before you plan to make this. Submerge pork skin in slightly luke warm water with a pinch of salt. Do not use hot water as this may congeal the pork skin together. Let the skin rehydrate about 20-30 mins. Drain and allow to dry before mixing.
Also day before, cook the pork. The quick way is to boil it, but mom says the traditional way is called “ram” which means to fry in a small amount of water, bit of sugar and salt. This way imparts a beautiful flavor to the pork. Cook until done and store in fridge overnight or until cool. Thinly slice into matchstick size.
Mix the dry pork skin, pork, salt, and approximately 2-3 oz. of roasted rice powder and garlic thoroughly. Add more roasted rice powder or garlic to taste. Set aside in the fridge until ready. This mixture stores well in the freezer 1-2 months. The Bi is also very popular filling and great in banh mi!
Cha Trung Hap (Steamed Pork and Egg Custard)
- 1 lb. ground pork
- 1 small bundle of bean thread noodles (soaked, drained, cut into 2-3 inch length )
- 1/2 cup tree/woodear fungus (soaked and drained)
- 1 ts pepper
- 1 ts salt
- 2 egg whites
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp annatto seeds
- 1 tbs oil (vegatable or olive oil)
Mix pork, bean thread, fungus, pepper, salt and egg whites together and set aside.
In sauce pain add oil and annatto seeds and cook for about 1 min or until desired orange/red color seeps into oil. Do not burn seeds. Strain seeds and mix cooled oil into egg yolks to get a beautiful orange/red color.
Place pork mixture into baking pan or individual ramekins. Generously layer on the egg yolk mixture and steam for about 30 minutes. This will vary with your pan and thickness of the custurd. Check using sticking fork or toothpick.
Suon Nuong (Grilled Pork Chops)
- Pork chop marinade: 3 tbs fish sauce, 2 tbs sugar, 1 tbs thick soy sauce, 1 tbs olive oil, 2 crushed garlic and 1 minced shallot
- 6 pork chops
Accompaniments
- Slices cucumbers and tomatoes
- Dipping Fish sauce (Nuoc mam cham)
- Pickled carrots and daikon
- Scallions in hot oil

Eat daily…yes, very de nuoi.Also, try our other broken rice recipe Com Tam Tau Hu Ky (Bean Curd Wrapped Shrimp).