Episode 1: North Western Australia – Cape Leveque

Aired 4pm, Saturday 28 October 2017 on SBS. Returning to our screens for Destination Flavour Down Under, Adam Liaw begins his culinary road trip in the northernmost tip of Western Australia, discovering food heroes who are putting community first, and the delights of mud crab and pearl meat.

Adam is in the “pearling capital” of Australia, Broome, looking forward to heading up to Cape Leveque, the northernmost tip of Western Australia. Many think of Far North Queensland as Australia’s tropical food hotspot, but he discovers that tropical food is also found in many Broome backyards, thanks to Asian pearlers.

A local Indigenous jam producer takes Adam to Cape Leveque, where he learns the importance of self-sufficiency in small Aboriginal communities, and sees that many businesses are putting community and conservation first. Adam collects wild gubinge, also known as Kakadu plum, mango and tamarind and makes ice-cream for the school kids. He is taken mudcrabbing at low tide along inland river beds, then investigates sustainable methods at a trochus hatchery, and plays deckhand on a pearling boat, tasting fresh pearl meat.

Adam cooks up chilli, tamarind and mango mud crab at a magnificent beach where red earth meets pure white sand and turquoise waters.

 

Recipes

Gubinge jam ice-cream

Pearl meat som tam

Chilli, tamarind and mango mud crab

 

Thank you

• Cygnet Bay Pearls, [phone], Cape Leveque Rd, Dampier Peninsula WA 6725
• Kooljaman wilderness camp, [phone], Cape Leveque WA 6725
• Mayi Harvests (gubinge jam), 0487 822 126, available at Mary Minyarl Centre, 20 Clementson St, Broome WA 6725
• One Arm Point Hatchery, [phone], [e-mail], One Arm Point community, Ardyaloon WA 6725
• Tagalong Tours, [phone] (bookings and enquiries through Kooljaman), Cape Leveque WA 6725