Recipe: Meet Nornie Bero, and make her Wattleseed banana bread

For home cooks curious about native Australian ingredients, knowing where to start can be the biggest hurdle. Chef Nornie Bero wants to make that first step easier, using distinctive flavours in dishes people already know and enjoy.

Her new cookbook, Native Ingredients Every Day, brings that approach into the home kitchen, drawing on more than 25 years as a professional chef and a childhood in which food connected family to Country.

The founder and CEO of Mabu Mabu, Nornie is originally from the Komet Tribe of the Meriam people in the Torres Strait. Her earliest food memories involve fishing with family and collecting shellfish, then sharing meals prepared by her Elders.

“Food was never separated from culture, family or Country,” she says.

“Food wasn’t something that came from a supermarket shelf – it came from the land and sea around us, and there was always a deep respect for where it came from. Those experiences shaped not only my palate but also my understanding of connection, responsibility and community.”

Familiar dishes, different flavours

That understanding has guided Nornie’s work at Mabu Mabu, where introducing diners to Indigenous ingredients is central to the experience.

“Mabu Mabu was built on a simple idea: putting Indigenous ingredients in the spotlight rather than treating them as a novelty,” she says. “Through the restaurant, we’ve been able to introduce thousands of people to native ingredients in a way that feels welcoming and delicious.”

The response reinforced her belief that these ingredients belong in everyday cooking. It also showed her that people are keen to learn when they have the opportunity.

Her cookbook continues that work. Rather than attempting to cover the hundreds of native ingredients found across Australia, Nornie chose those she considers versatile and accessible.

Lemon myrtle and finger lime feature alongside wattleseed, pepperberry and bush tomato. Each offers home cooks an opportunity to explore a different flavour without abandoning familiar favourites.

“Ingredients such as lemon myrtle, wattleseed, finger lime, pepperberry and bush tomato all bring unique flavours while fitting naturally into dishes people already know and love,” she says.

For Nornie, understanding those ingredients also means recognising the knowledge behind them.

“They carry the stories of Country and the knowledge of First Nations peoples who have cared for these lands for tens of thousands of years.”

Taking First Nations food to the world

Asked about her career highlights, Nornie points to the opportunity to share First Nations food and Torres Strait Islander culture internationally.

“My greatest privilege has been representing First Nations food and culture on a global stage,” she says.

“Being able to contribute to shaping what Australian food looks like for future generations is something I am incredibly proud of.”

She welcomes the growing recognition of Indigenous ingredients and the food systems that sustain them, after generations in which that knowledge was overlooked.

Her ambition extends beyond restaurant menus. With Native Ingredients Every Day, she wants these flavours to become a lasting part of Australian home cooking.

“To play a role in that movement and help ensure native ingredients become a celebrated and permanent part of Australia’s culinary identity is one of the highlights of my career.”

Ingredients

• 140g brown sugar
• 250g (1⅔ cups) plain flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon myrtle
• ½ teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground pepperberry
• 1 tablespoon ground wattleseed
• 150g whole macadamia nuts
• 5 ripe bananas
• 2 large eggs
• 125g (½ cup) butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for greasing
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 125ml (½ cup) vegetable oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).
2. Lightly grease an 11 x 21cm loaf tin, and line the base and two sides with baking paper.
3. Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl and add the macadamia nuts.
4. In a separate bowl, mash four of the bananas and mix in the eggs, butter, vanilla extract and oil.
5. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mix until well combined.
6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin. Slice the fifth banana and place the slices on top of the mixture.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes.
8. To check if the bread is cooked, insert a cake skewer in the centre – the skewer should come out clean.
9. Let the bread sit in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack.