Charismatic First Nations chef Nornie Bero grew up on the island of Mer in the Torres Strait and while her wanderlust would take her to Italian and Japanese kitchens in Melbourne and London via Townsville, her home now is Mabu Mabu, a restaurant renowned in Melbourne and beyond for its innovative and delicious Australian Indigenous food. Now, Nornie champions the tastes of native flavours in everyday cooking by unlocking the secrets of Australian herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits in her new cookbook, Mabu Mabu.
Today, we’re featuring a recipe for tamarind pipis from Mabu Mabu. Happy cooking!
Photo by Armelle Habib.
Tamarind Pipis
The usual way to eat pipis is to place them on a hot plate until they open up, then eat them straight from the shell. This super quick recipe uses tamarind – lots of people don’t realise how delicious tamarind is! This is a great way to taste the full flavour of the fruit. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty here and feel your meal.
Ingredients
300 g (10 ½ oz) fresh tamarind paste
2 onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Curry Powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 kg (4 lb 6 oz) pipis (or clams), in shell
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) warrigal greens
Method
Start by making a tamarind paste by pouring 250 ml (8 ½ fl oz/1 cup) warm water over the tamarind paste 1 hour before you need it. Hand-mush the paste to get more out of the tamarind juice. Break up the pulp as much as possible with your fingers. Set aside.
In a large pan or work, fry the onion and garlic in the oil over a high heat until cooked.
Add the curry powder, salt and the pipis. Stir well for a couple of minutes.
Strain the tamarind water directly into the pan, discarding the pulp. Add the warrigal greens at the end, cover and steam for 3 minutes.
—This is an edited extract from Mabu Mabu by Nornie Bero, published by Hardie Grant Books (Hardback, RRP $45) and available in stores nationally from 2 Feb 2022.
Photography: © Armelle Habib 2022, except pages 20, 22–3 © Hugo Lamb 2022
Mabu Mabu
An Australian Kitchen Cookbook
In Mabu Mabu, charismatic First Nations chef Nornie Bero champions the tastes of native flavours in everyday cooking by unlocking the secrets of Australian herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits.
Nornie grew up on the island of Mer in the Torres Strait and while her wanderlust would take her to Italian and Japanese kitchens in Melbourne and London via Townsville, her home now is Mabu Mabu, a restaurant renowned in...
The FAB Award is back – and it’s time to cast your votes! 
RECIPE: Pork and caramelised apple sausage rolls from the One Handed Cooks 
RECIPE: Miso, chilli and lime corn on the cob
Comments
No comments