Unemployed mother Ha Huynh sorts through groceries in the kitchen during Victoria's two-week lockdown period beginning from 11:59pm on Thursday 27 May. She does most of the shopping and cooking at home and the COVID-19 pandemic increased her stress over food supplies. Ms Huynh said "People buy things in bulk so I have to do the same too. Otherwise, if all the food is bought, what would my children eat? …Some lady at the shops even bought 100 bags of rice at 25kg each. That’s crazy. Two bags for one year is enough. It’s strange what people think these days.”
Ms Huynh makes fresh rice noodles at home using a handheld noodle-maker. The noodle mixture was pressed down through holes in the tool to create long smooth strings of noodles. These were cooked in boiling water until they rose to the surface, then soaked in cold water and finally drained of water. Rice noodles are successfully made when they are intact and keep their long shape. Soaking in cold water helped to prevent the noodles from breaking. Ms Huynh said it took her 11 times until she finally succeeded. Prior to the pandemic, she only bought dried rice noodles.
Ha Huynh made “bun nuoc leo”, a fish noodle soup from her hometown Soc Trang. It is made from fermented fish broth cooked with coconut juice and filtered through a sieve to create a rich and savoury soup. The savouriness of the fish soup coupled with a sharp taste of lemongrass produces the true southern taste of the fish noodle soup. The fresh rice noodles Ms Huynh made for this dish is clear, smooth and chewy. The dish incorporates the softness of fish that immediately breaks apart in your mouth, soft shrimp, and the crunch of the water spinach stems.
Family of four in Melbourne make sa-te and dried shrimp together on Sunday 30 May. 5kg of shrimp was air fried to only 1kg but can be kept for 6 months in the freezer. Adding white wine before air frying brought out the red colour. Sa-te was made from onion, garlic, hot chilli, oil, dried shrimp, and seasoning blended then simmered on low heat until an enticing ruby hue came out. Immediately sealing the jars after pouring the mixture in can keep it for 3 months in the fridge. It enhances redness and spiciness to stir fries and noodle soups.
Fried rice is a common Vietnamese dish with an assortment of meat and vegetables. Cooked rice fried over medium heat with pork, dried shrimp, peas, corn, and carrots provides a balance of sweet and savoury. The chewiness of savoury chopped meat and dried shrimp contrasts the mushy texture of steamed carrots and the sweetness of corn and peas, combined with soft grains of rice. The appetising aroma wafts through the kitchen welcoming people for seconds. It is simple to make and full of nutrition, cooked in large quantities for a family and perfect for any meal, especially during the pandemic.
Ha Huynh sits in the kitchen and makes “banh it tran”, traditional Vietnamese rice dumplings, on Friday 4 June. She wrapped meat balls of minced pork, shrimp and mung bean with glutinous rice flour mixture. Since she has more time in the kitchen due to the pandemic crisis, she took this opportunity to channel her stress into cooking and experimenting with food she has never made before. She is depicted experimenting with rice dumplings that she previously had only bought from stores. Helen said she also shared recipes with friends and participated in COVID-19 cooking challenges.
Ms Huynh scoops up cooked rice dumplings from boiling pot of water. These Vietnamese rice dumplings originated from central Vietnam and is typically wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Boiling rice dumplings until they float simplifies the cooking process. They are also made from glutinous rice flour instead of glutinous rice but both ingredients still produce the sticky and chewy texture of the dumpling. The price of rice, glutinous rice, rice flour and glutinous rice flour rose during the pandemic when the demand for these products increased. People wanted to stock up on food products and experiment with food.
Boiled “banh it tran” gradually cools down on two large plates. These rice dumplings can be eaten warm or at room temperature and served with fish sauce. The homemade fish sauce is made from processed fish sauce from grocery stores mixed with lemon and sugar and brought to boil. Chopped garlic and chilli is added to the fish sauce, giving a tangy aroma with a sweet and chilli taste, and can be kept for a month in the fridge. The fish sauce can be used as a dipping sauce for many Vietnamese dishes such as rice paper rolls.
“Banh it tran” are traditional Vietnamese rice dumplings that can have meat or be vegan. The meat type includes fresh shrimp, mung bean and pepper, whilst the vegan type just has mung bean. It can be eaten as a snack or for a simple breakfast or lunch. Helen said she has eaten more small meals and has gained weight since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The rice dumplings were a dish that could be eaten multiple times throughout the day to give a feeling of fullness and the rich and slightly spicy taste stimulates your appetite.
“Banh it tran” are Vietnamese rice dumplings typically eaten with fish sauce. Two or three rice dumplings are served in a bowl and sprinkled with chopped fresh shallots. Fish sauce is drizzled over the smooth skin of the rice dumplings and pooled at the bottom. The rice dumplings are soft, sticky, and chewy like lollies on the outside and has a pungent meaty and spicy taste inside from pork and shrimp and a hint of pepper. Chilli fish sauce adds to this unique dish from central Vietnam and brings people closer to Vietnamese culture and food from home.
