Infocus: with Boma founder Lynh Nguyen
Image by Sam Biddle
“It’s quite an amazing story and one I hope to share in detail soon. It’s a story of resilience and strength - something I am reminded of constantly when I’m cooking with Ma and having the privilege to share my family’s rich culture and food. ”
Boma is a roaming kitchen that caters for parties, events and pop-ups. It is the love child of Lynh Nguyen and her mother, Ngoc Ho. The multi-generational duo celebrate their cultural roots through their food. The food is legitimate traditional Vietnamese cooking inspired by their hometown Saigon. Whitefish wrapped in banana leaves, steamed mussels with aromatic herbs, and a light fragrant curry that sings in your mouth, all accompanied by the most delicate dipping sauces. Just one of the many menu samples Boma conjures. When you taste food with so much heart, you cannot help but wonder where it all began. I had the pleasure of interviewing Lynh. We spoke about her relationship with her mother, family traditions and cultural ties. She has kindly shared with our readers an exclusive recipe you’ll want on your Christmas table. It was a pleasure interviewing the humble and very talented cook of Boma.
Image by Sam Biddle
Tell me about Boma, how it was manifested and how it came to be.
Boma translates to Bố and Má, meaning dad and mum in Vietnam. The concept of Boma being a traditional Vietnamese home-style food experience (in collaboration with my parents) is something I’ve been conjuring up for the past decade. Throughout my various jobs and career twists and turns over the years, it’s always been food and connection with family that’s been niggling in my mind as something I would love to pursue one day - but seemed so out of reach. I lived in New York and Los Angeles between 2015 - 2020, and towards the end of that period I was missing my family, particularly missing my Ma’s cooking so much. Soon after I arrived back to my hometown of Melbourne, I started scheming with Ma and planting the seed of Boma in her mind. To be honest, it’s not something she was initially into - as cooking, en masse, is a lot of work. It’s something she does so well but in the comfort of her home kitchen. Slowly but surely, she agreed to help me with a pop-up fundraiser for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) mid-2021 and fortunately, Boma blossomed from there.
Your mother is the brains behind most of your recipes. Where did they come from, were they passed down from her mother?
Ma is originally from a southern Vietnamese town called Biên Hòa, however, she and her family relocated to Saigon when she was 5 - so essentially, her cultural upbringing is from Saigon. Saigon is an incredibly vibrant, chaotic and loud city, with food that matches its intensity in flavour. Ma’s cooking is the same. It’s full of flavour but like all Vietnamese cooking is gracefully balanced by sweetness, herbs and sourness. Her mother is also a phenomenal cook - always cooking for her community and large family (she is one of seven). With this, she passed on recipes and disciplines to my Ma, which I’m so fortunate also to be able to learn.
Can you tell us your fondest memories of being in the kitchen with her as a young girl?
My clearest and fondest memories are actually with Ma and also my grandma (on my dad’s side) who lived with us. She is also an exceptional cook and one of my favourite people in the world. My grandma parked on a tiny stool, with an abundant amount of herbs and leaves laid out on old newspapers as she cleaned and picked them, slowly and delicately. Ma bustling around the stove and sink - she is the kind of cook that has about 5 things on the go never missing a beat. My job when I was little was always peeling spring rolls wrappers, stacking them in a criss-cross shape so they wouldn’t stick. Ma was in charge of making the pork filling and I would help her wrap them - trying to mimic her swift and fastidious rolling style. My job was also always setting the table and helping grandma pick the remaining herbs.
Image by Sam Biddle
Growing up, was food and family synonymous? Tell us about some beautiful traditions that took place around the table.
Very much so. We ate dinner together every night, with no exceptions. We rarely went out to restaurants, so dinner was always made by Ma at home. We were never allowed to eat dinner with the television on - which is something I really cherish now. SBS Radio hosted a Vietnamese news program - without fail, if dinner fell in that time, Bo would tune in. The theme song harmony is still a vivid memory. My parents are quite religious so dinner always started with a prayer, each of us taking turns inviting one another to enjoy the meal.
Tell us about some of your favourite events you have plated together.
The first event we did was a fundraiser for the ASRC. That event was held at a venue in Fitzroy North for about 40 people, a mix of friends and people I didn’t know, which was cool. The night was centred around family classics - dishes like canh chua (sweet and sour broth with barramundi, okra and pineapple) and thịt kho (caramalised pork belly with boiled eggs and pickled mustard greens). This was the only event where Ma was actually in the kitchen with me during the event, cooking on the fly - which was such a special moment. Since then, she more so supports Boma from afar - helping me prepare food beforehand or cooking a certain specialty dish of hers ahead of time.
The night was particularly memorable as there was a focus on my parents' refugee experience and their journey from Vietnam to Australia. It’s quite an amazing story and one I hope to share in detail soon. It’s a story of resilience and strength - something I am reminded of constantly when I’m cooking with Ma and having the privilege to share my family's rich culture and food.
You collaborated with one of our friends Gem Leslie for your brand identity. What was the process of working with her like?
It was perfect! Gem is an old and dear friend and knows both my parents and I well. Working with her was a seamless experience. I feel very lucky to have people like her in my life - so happy and willing to help out and support a vision. I barely had to brief Gem - she has impeccable taste and a unique, playful style that worked well with the Boma identity. Essentially she did what she does well and I was, and still am, extremely happy with how it manifested.
Being a daughter means…
Thinking that the Vietnamese food and culture I grew up with was so different to people around me and having moments where I wished it away. Now, I couldn’t be further from that sentiment and am immensely proud and grateful to be Vietnamese, and Bố and Má’s daughter.
Everyone loves a crisp summer salad to accompany all the fatty meats and rich delicacies that sit on the Christmas table. Can you please share a simple Boma salad that would you’ll be making this holiday season?
The delicious crispy salad I made for the Food For Everyone Christmas party instantly springs to mind. It’s super simple, refreshing and tasty.
Ingredients
2 small cucumbers, sliced thin in sticks
A couple handfuls of black russian cherry tomatoes, halved
2 blood oranges, cut into small segments and reserve some blood orange juice
Handful of radishes, sliced thinly
2 king oyster mushrooms, finely shredded by hand
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
Handful of mint, roughly torn
Handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
Handful of shiso leaves, roughly chopped
1 tbsp fish sauce (or vegan fish sauce alternative)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp water
Small pinch of salt
Juice of half a lemon
Dressing
Mix the fish sauce, sugar, water, salt and lemon juice. Taste and add more salt and sugar to your liking. Add in blood orange juice to flavour.
Mushrooms
Boil a small pot of water and add the shredded mushrooms. Boil for 1 minute and drain. Mix through with some soy sauce and sesame oil to taste.
Salad
Mix the cucumber, tomatoes, blood oranges, radishes, mushrooms and herbs in a bowl. Drizzle and mix through the salad just before serving, top with fried shallot if you have them and serve with something crispy like prawn crackers or fried wonton skins.
Follow Lynh’s journey here.