"Your natural supermarket comes from the oceans and gardens and what gets picked from the trees," says Nornie Bero in Island Echoes, the series where she revisits her island home. The proud Torres Straits Islander woman's food, served at her Melbourne restaurant Big Esso and showcased in her Mabu Mabu cookbook, makes glorious use of Indigenous Australian ingredients and features some of the island dishes she grew up with, along with influences from other parts of Australia and around the world.
Here, from a pretty hibiscus cake to glorious seafood dishes that reflect the key role seafood plays in island food, are a selection of the great recipes Nornie Bero has shared with us.
Namas
This dish is prepared in a similar style to ceviche. "It’s always best to make it with fresh fish straight out of the ocean. The raw fish will cure in the citrus and coconut to create a smooth, fragrant and refreshing starter that is perfect on a warm spring or summer day," Bero says about this dish, shared in her book Mabo Mabo.
Hibiscus cake with strawberry gum cream cheese
How strikingly pretty! And a showcase for Indigenous ingredients: this is made with ground pepperberry and dried hibiscus in the cake, and decorated with strawberry gum cream and hibiscus in syrup.
Lemon myrtle fish puffs
A recipe shared in Island Echoes, these lemon myrtle fish puffs take inspiration from a Vietnamese dish, chạo tôm – a deep-fried fish cake served on a sugar cane stick. The inclusion of lemon myrtle and samphire add a modern Indigenous twist.
Tin meat and rice
"This is my dad’s favourite recipe. When money was tight, we lived in one bedroom and shared the kitchen with four other adults. My first taste of beef came from a tin of corned beef – it’s a staple for every Island kitchen. My dad used to make it five different ways, including with raw onions in a sandwich, in a curry paste, or in a broth," Bero says.
Pickled pepperberries and succulents
The vibrant combination of native Indigenous karkalla and samphire make for a delicious and unique pickle, elevated by a spiced red wine pickling liquid, in a recipe Bero share on The Cook Up. Great with bread and cheese.
Lemon aspen arcul (pippies) with fried cassava
Another taste of the Torres Strait Islands with arcul (pippies), brought to life with flavour from garlic, saltbush, chillies and warrigal greens. The cassava chips offer a great texture contrast.
Figs with macadamia and bush tomato dukkah
Egyptian dukkah gets a modern-day Indigenous Australian twist with macadamias, pepperberries and ground bush tomatoes with this recipe, where the mix is sprinkled over charred figs.
Wild rice salad with macadamia cream and karkalla
This easy-to-make rice salad brims with native Aussie flavours, including macadamias, river mint, finger limes and karkalla, a succulent that adds a salty pop to dishes.
Sop sop
"This always reminds me of home," says Bero of this coconut, pumpkin, taro, cassava and sweet potato stew, a Torres Strait Island favourite.
Desert lime cray with red desert seasoning
Another recipe shared in Island Echoes, this seafood plate boasts punchy flavours.
Wattleseed damper with golden syrup butter
Wattleseed is one of Nornie's favourite ingredients and in Torres Strait at Home she uses it to prepare a childhood staple, damper. Delicious slathered with sweet, syrupy butter!
River mint octopus with desert herbs
A delicate native herb that is related to peppermint and spearmint, river mint – also known as rambling mint bush or mentha Australis – has long been used in teas, but can also be used to flavour seafood.
Quandong Christmas cake
"It’s super simple: you boil everything down, and the native ingredients add so much punch. This is the cake I make every year and people love it. It celebrates our Australian nuts, muntries, quandongs and spices such as pepperberries. It’s really got everything, and it’s the easiest Christmas cake you’re ever going to make," Nornie says of this fantastic fruit cake.
SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only. Read more about SBS Food
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