Nornie Bero’s taro and bean nachos recipe from her book Native Ingredients Every Day. Photograph: Rochelle Eagle View image in fullscreen Nornie Bero’s taro and bean nachos recipe from her book Native Ingredients Every Day. Photograph: Rochelle Eagle Australian food and drink Nornie Bero’s crispy-taro nachos, fragrant cassava curry and a ‘queen of the hash’ recipe The Meriam chef and author shares a trio of homely recipes for cassava and taro, cooked with a coterie of native Australian ingredients
Prefer the Guardian on Google 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.
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
Read more 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.
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.
View image in fullscreen Bero’s cassava yellow curry. Photograph: Rochelle Eagle 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.
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 cr...