Recipe: Nornie Bero’s Secret to Next-Level Brussels Sprouts Is an Ancient Native Ingredient

Nornie Bero wants to see native fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices in every Australian kitchen. In her latest cookbook, Native Ingredients Everyday, the chef, cookbook author and TV host shares plenty of ways to make that happen.

The proud Meriam woman makes weaving native ingredients – like saltbush, pepperberry and yams – into everyday cooking feel effortless. Across 80 recipes, she takes you from hearty dinners like her family-recipe chicken curry to a crowd-pleasing quandong tart and show-stopping sides – like this one.

In it, Bero pairs charred brussels sprouts with one of Australia’s most-loved native ingredients: the macadamia. First Nations people have harvested, traded and turned macadamias into pastes like this one for thousands of years, particularly on Bundjalung, Gubbi Gubbi/Kabi Kabi and Yugambeh lands, where the trees still grow wild through the rainforest.

Here, Bero throws the nut against one of her go-to market buys, brussels sprouts, and lets it shine. “The flavour of the nuts really makes this dish stand out,” she writes. “A little spicy and a little nutty, with crunchiness from the sprouts, this is perfect for a barbeque side or a plant-based main that brings the heat and the heart.”

If you’re having trouble sourcing any of the ingredients at your local grocer, Bero’s supplier guide has you covered.

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Nornie Bero’s chilli-charred brussels sprouts with macadamia cream

Serves 4

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

1kg brussels sprouts, trimmed

¼ cup macadamia oil

1 tsp ginger, crushed

1 tsp garlic, crushed

2 tbsp chilli flakes, or to taste

2 French shallots, diced

2 tbsp macadamia nuts, toasted and crushed

1 tsp bush tomato, ground

6 caperberries, halved

½ bunch chives, finely chopped, to serve

Pinch of lemon aspen salt, to serve

Macadamia cream

1 cup macadamia nuts, soaked overnight or boiled in water for 10 minutes, then drained

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp nutritional yeast flakes (optional, for richness)

Sea salt, to taste

Method

To make the macadamia cream, blend the soaked or boiled macadamias, ½ cup water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast (if using) and salt, to season, until smooth and creamy. Add more water to reach your preferred consistency. Chill until needed.

Cook the sprouts in a large saucepan of boiling water for 3 minutes, until just tender. Drain, refresh and slice in half vertically.

Heat a large skillet or chargrill pan over high heat. Toss the sprouts with the oil, ginger, garlic and chilli flakes. Cook, cut-side down, until charred and golden (4–5 minutes), then turn over and cook for a few minutes on the other side.

Lower the heat to medium, then stir in the shallots, crushed macadamias, bush tomato and caperberry halves. Saute another 2–3 minutes, or until aromatic.

Swoosh the macadamia cream onto a plate or platter and pile the sprouts on top. Scatter with chives and lemon aspen salt to serve.

This is an edited extract from Native Ingredients Every Day by Nornie Bero. Published by Hardie Grant (RRP $45).