Nornie Bero’s crispy-taro nachos, fragrant cassava curry and a ‘queen of the hash’ recipe

Taro chips and red bean nachos

(Pictured above)

Nachos are a household favourite, and for me it’s always been about the red bean salsa. I like to take my time to build a volcano-like chip tower. The taro gets fried up crispier than an aunty’s gossip and gets loaded with smoky red bean salsa and enough melted cheese to glue the family together. Then comes that bush lemon cream – smooth, zesty and showing off with a jalapeño wink.

The taro chips can be made beforehand and stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks. If you’re not up for the bush lemon cream, plain sour cream is quite acceptable, as is guacamole.

Serves 6 to 8

For the taro chips

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

500g taro, peeled and thinly sliced (use a mandoline if you’re fancy)

1 tbsp lemon aspen powder

For the bush lemon cream

250g sour cream, 1 cup

½ cup pickled jalapeños, plus extra to serve

2 avocados

½ tsp ground pepperberry

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Juice of 2 lemons

For the red bean salsa

800g tinned red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

800g tinned diced tomatoes

1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

1 cup coriander leaves, chopped

½ red onion, diced

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

⅓ cup sweet chilli sauce

1 small red capsicum, deseeded and diced

1 tsp ground pepperberry

1 tsp dried saltbush

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 2 lemons

For the cheese mix

1 cup grated vintage cheddar cheese

1½ cups grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

To make the taro chips, heat the vegetable oil in a deep, heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. In small batches, fry the taro for two to three minutes, or until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel, then sprinkle with lemon aspen powder. Try not to eat them all before you serve.

To make the bush lemon cream, blend the sour cream, jalapeños, avocados, garlic, pepperberry, lemon juice and sea salt until smooth and zesty. Chill until ready to serve.

Preheat the oven grill to 200C.

To make the red bean salsa, mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Stir it like you mean it.

For the cheese mix, combine the three cheeses in a bowl.

Lay the taro chips on a large baking tray. Spoon over the red bean salsa, then scatter over the cheese mix. Grill until bubbling and golden.

Top the nachos with dollops of bush lemon cream and extra jalapeños.

Cassava yellow curry

With its wonderful nutty flavour, good hints of spice and nutritional benefits, cassava is one of those root vegetables we simply don’t eat enough.

If you can’t find fresh cassava, frozen cassava can be found in many Asian grocery stores. For this recipe, there’s no need to thaw it before cooking. Pandan leaf can also be found at Asian grocers.

Serves 4

1kg fresh or peeled frozen cassava

1 tsp ground turmeric

Dash of vegetable oil, for frying

1 medium onion, sliced

2 tsp chilli powder

1½ tsp ground aniseed myrtle

3 tsp Keen’s Traditional Curry Powder

1 tsp celery seeds

500ml coconut cream, 2 cups

500ml vegetable stock, 2 cups

1 teagrass stalk

2.5 cm piece pandan leaf

3 lemon myrtle leaves

1 tsp whole wattleseeds

2 cups warrigal greens

Steamed rice or roti, to serve

If using fresh cassava, wash it first, then fill a bowl with water. Using a small knife, peel off the thin skin and place the peeled pieces in the water to avoid browning. When ready to use, drain.

Transfer the cassava (fresh or frozen) to a large saucepan or stockpot and cover with 10 cups of water. Bring to the boil over high heat and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until soft, adding the turmeric after 20 minutes. Drain the cassava, let it cool a little, then cut it into chunky cubes.

Add a dash of oil to a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, chilli, aniseed myrtle, curry powder and celery seeds. Cook, stirring, for two minutes to release the flavours. Add the cassava, 350ml (one and half cups) of the coconut cream, stock, teagrass, pandan leaf, lemon myrtle leaves and wattleseeds. Cook for 25 minutes, adding 250ml (one cup) of water and the remaining coconut cream if needed to thin out. Add the warrigal greens and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

Serve the curry with rice or roti.

Cassava hash with pea yoghurt

Cassava is the queen of the hash scene and if potatoes are salty about it, well, they’ve had their turn. Here its crunchy nuttiness is contrasted by a good lashing of pea yoghurt, freshened with mint.

Make sure to wash the cassava before peeling it, then place it in water to prevent browning if you’re not grating it straight away. To make saltbush chips, shallow-fry a few tablespoons of saltbush leaves in hot oil for a few seconds until crisp, then drain on paper towel and sprinkle with a little salt.

Serves 4

For the cassava hash

1kg cassava, peeled

1 egg

¼ cup tapioca starch

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 onion, grated

½ tsp dried saltbush

1 tsp ground white pepper

Good pinch of ground pepperberry

Extra-virgin olive oil, for frying

For the desert lime and pea yoghurt

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus extra juice to taste and serve

2 tbsp finely diced desert limes

1 garlic clove, crushed

½ cup chopped mint leaves

2 tbsp chopped river mint leaves (optional)

½ cup shelled fresh peas

2 tbsp saltbush chips (see introduction), plus extra to taste and serve

½ cup thick plain yoghurt

1 French shallot, finely diced

Pinch of ground pepperberry

To make the cassava hash, finely grate the cassava, then wrap in a clean tea towel and squeeze out the excess liquid into a bowl. Let the liquid sit for a few minutes then carefully tip it off, saving the white starch that has settled at the bottom!

In a large bowl, combine the grated cassava, cassava starch, egg, tapioca starch, garlic, onion, saltbush, white pepper and pepperberry. Mix until a thick batter forms. Heat a generous glug of oil in a non-stick or cast-iron frying pan over medium heat. Scoop quarter-cup portions of batter into the pan, flattening each to form little hash patties. Fry three to four minutes on each side, or until crispy and golden. Keep warm on a rack or a paper towel-lined plate.

To make the desert lime and pea yoghurt, use a hand blender to blitz the thawed frozen peas, lemon zest and juice, garlic, desert limes, mint and river mint (if using) until well combined but still textured. Stir in the fresh peas, saltbush chips, yoghurt, shallot and pepperberry. Taste and adjust: more lemon juice for zing, more saltbush if you’re feeling bushy.

Stack the crispy cassava hash cakes high. Dollop generously with the desert lime and pea yoghurt. Garnish with a few extra saltbush chips and a cheeky squeeze of lemon.

This is an edited extract from Native Ingredients Every Day by Nornie Bero, photography by Rochelle Eagle, available now through Hardie Grant (A$45)