Vietnamese Lemongrass Pork Chops with Broken Rice and Nuoc Cham

Steps

1. Step 1

   Pat the pork chops dry. If any are thicker than 1/2 inch, lay them between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them with the bottom of a heavy pan until even.

   5 min

   • 8 thin-cut pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick (2 lb total)
2. Step 2

   In a large bowl, stir together the minced lemongrass, garlic, shallot, fish sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, oil and black pepper until the sugar dissolves. Add the chops and turn them so every surface is coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.

   1 hr, hands-off

   • 8 thin-cut pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick (2 lb total)
   • 3 lemongrass stalks
   • 5 cloves garlic
   • 1 shallot
   • 3 tbsp fish sauce
   • 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
   • 1 tbsp soy sauce
   • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
   • 1/2 tsp black pepper
3. Step 3

   Take the pork out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking so it comes closer to room temperature.

   30 min, hands-off

4. Step 4

   Make the nuoc cham: in a small bowl, whisk the fish sauce, sugar, lime juice and warm water until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the garlic and chile. Taste — it should be tangy, salty and lightly sweet; add a splash more water if it's too strong. Set aside.

   5 min

   • 3 tbsp fish sauce
   • 3 tbsp sugar
   • 3 tbsp lime juice
   • 1/2 cup warm water
   • 2 cloves garlic
   • 1 Thai chile
5. Step 5

   Cook the rice: put the rinsed rice, water and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover, turn the heat to low and cook 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit, covered, 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

   30 min

   • 1 1/2 cups broken rice (or jasmine rice)
   • 2 1/4 cups water
   • salt
6. Step 6

   Meanwhile, set an oven rack about 5 inches below the broiler and heat the broiler to high. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

   5 min

7. Step 7

   Lift the chops out of the marinade, letting the excess drip off, and lay them on the sheet in a single layer with a little space between them. Broil 5 to 6 minutes, until browned and charred at the edges.

   6 min

   • 8 thin-cut pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick (2 lb total)
8. Step 8

   Flip the chops and broil 4 to 5 minutes more, until charred in spots and cooked through (145°F at the center). Let them rest 5 minutes on a plate.

   10 min

9. Step 9

   Serve the chops over bowls of rice with cucumber and tomato slices alongside, cilantro scattered over, and nuoc cham to spoon over everything.

   5 min

   • 1 English cucumber
   • 2 tomatoes
   • 1/4 cup cilantro leaves

Where it’s from

Written by AI from an idea

Version 1, saved Oct 4, 2026