Nornie Bero from Mabu Mabu and Big Esso shares her semur chicken recipe

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Semur Chicken is hearty and heartwarming, but on the Torres Strait Islands it’s also a dish that will let you quickly know if your relationship is going anywhere. “It’s a dish that you are preparing for this person who will be there forever. If you bring a new partner home and your aunt asks if you’ve ever made semur chicken for them, and you say no, they say, “I don’t want to know you, you won’t be there. forever, ”says Nornie Bero, chef and owner of Melbourne Mabu Mabu café in Yarraville and the soon-to-be Big Esso restaurant in Federation Square.

Bero was born and raised on the island of Mer, which has around 450 inhabitants. Growing up, she ate fresh reef fish, octopus, yams, cassava, wild boar, and fruits like plums and quandong.

“I am fortunate to have grown up with such a great culinary culture. The Torres Strait was multicultural before the rest of Australia. We love everyone and we got together. I just grew up in a very happy culture where we weren’t financially rich, but we were still fed and had a great community life, ”she says.

“If you bring home a new partner and your aunt asks you if you’ve ever made semur chicken for them, and you say no, they say, ‘I don’t wanna know you, you’re not gonna be around. forever.'”

As with other traditional recipes, there are different versions of semur chicken, but the base of the dish is slowly simmered chicken in soy sauce broth with flavors like lemongrass, ginger, and chili.

“It’s one of those dishes that every Islander cooks, and I cook it whenever winter begins or I’m homesick. It’s even better if you leave it overnight. It’s one of those dishes that never stop giving, ”says Bero.

She explains that semur chicken has roots in many cuisines, from Japanese to Indonesian: “It’s a very multicultural dish for us. The Japanese settle in the Torres Strait and are part of our beche-de-mer [sea cucumber] and cultivation of pearls, then married into our families and brought their soy sauce and then incorporated into our food.

Semur chicken also exists in Indonesia, another country that has influenced the cuisine of Torres Strait Islanders. The Indonesian version offers kecap manis rather than dark or light soy sauce, and spices like nutmeg. It is served with potatoes and rice instead of vermicelli.

Bero adapted the recipe that she grew up with her father, keeping essential ingredients like soy sauce, lemongrass and chili. She took the recipe her own by incorporating Warrigal greens and pepper berries, native ingredients found in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania.

She uses a whole chicken which she breaks into pieces to maximize flavor and minimize waste. “This is one of those really, really easy dishes that you can make that won’t take a lot of your time. You can watch Netflix while doing this.

She recommends serving semur chicken with sop sop, a dish of yam and sweet potato cooked in coconut milk.

“This is one of those really, really easy dishes that you can make that won’t take a lot of your time. You can watch Netflix while doing this.

Bero put semur chicken on Mabu Mabu’s dining menu and serves it as a cafe special. In July, the dish could also make an appearance at its new Big Esso venue, restaurant and bar in Fed Square. “It’s one of those perfect dishes for those cold winter days we’re going through right now,” she says.

Much like Mabu Mabu, Big Esso will champion Indigenous ingredients, but with a more island flair and with the addition of the country’s first Indigenous bar.

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Semur chicken

For 5-6 people

Ingredients

• 1 entire chicken
• 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil, preferably macadamia oil
• 1 sliced ​​onion
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 nub ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 lemongrass stems, crushed and chopped
• 1 tbsp chilli paste
• 250 ml (1 cup) soy sauce
• 2 bottles dark beer (preferably Guinness), or replace with vegetable broth
• ½ teaspoon peppery berries
• 250g vermicelli noodles
• A handful of karkalla (or bok choy)
• A handful of Warrigal greens (or silver beetroot)
• 120g (1 cup) chopped spring onion

Method

1. Cut the chicken into 2 cm pieces.
   
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and brown the chicken (about 5-7 minutes).
   
3. Add onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and chili paste and cook until onions are golden.
4. Add the soy sauce and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Add the beer and peppery berries, then cook slowly over low heat for at least 2 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and falls off the bone.
6. In a separate bowl, place the vermicelli in hot water until clear, then drain and add to the pot.
7. Add the karkalla and warrigal greens and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the spring onion and set aside.
   
8. Divide the semur chicken into 5-6 portions and serve in bowls.

To note
• You can find peppery berries in the Mabu Mabu online store or other bush food stores. It is also available in its cafe or Big Esso.