Mushroom and Chicken is a popular dish in Kriol cooking. It has been handed down through families with a Chinese connection and it has many variations. The foundation of the dish is the use of soya and oyster sauce and relies on the earthy influence of the mushroom to penetrate the flesh of the chicken.
Malaysian and Chinese influenced Chilli Crab, Singapore noodles with turtle, bunyjman, liji liji shell in a soya and chilli sauce. Every Kriol cook boasts about his or her “Chilli Crab”, and Brian bin Saaban is no exception. His chilli crab dish is one he whips up every time he wants to impress friends and family with a fiery dish straight from the ocean. Ali and Mitch journey to Bindook, a small family community north of Broome where Brian lives.
Under the guidance of Lexie Tang Wei, daughters Amy and Carol and granddaughters Lauren and Marli make their famous Chinese Long Soup from scratch. This recipe holds a special place in the lives of many Broome families who would purchase the soup from Mr Tang Wei’s restaurant right up to when he closed down.
There is even a song called ‘Blue Bone Soup’ sung by one of the sister’s uncles to great acclaim; that is how famous this dish is. Ali and Mitch travel two hours north of Broome to a tourist camping destination named Goobaragun and spend the day with Kathleen Cox.
For many Kriol families who were doing it tough, living off the ocean would help to supplement the meals for larger families and the Clarke family were no exception. Originally a Broome-Beagle Bay family, they moved to Port Hedland with the Catholic Church back in the 1940s to help establish a community with the Catholic ethos. Growing up on a meagre wage, Sylvia’s father always took his family fishing to catch crab, fish and other delicacies that the ocean offered, doing wonders for the soul.
In this episode we enjoy the culinary skills of Veronica Francis who draws on Malaysian influences from her father who taught her how to cook, albeit in a secretive manner. As a young woman Veronica journeyed to the land of her father to discover her other roots. What she found were similarities between the way families interact with each other back in her homeland and she felt right at home. Veronica will be cooking two dishes, both very hot and spicy.
This episode takes a break from recipes that use chilli and instead features bush fruit desserts. Ali and Mitch join their cousin Pat Torres and learn how to whip up some sweet treats using local bush fruits found in the region. Gubinge, river figs, bush passionfruit and a myriad of other bush fruits and soft spices form the basis of the dishes that Pat prepares in this episode.
Ali and Mitch join their cousin Neil Hamaguchi and learn how to make the most amazing barramundi Kriol dish they have ever encountered. Drawing on his long history as a pearl diver, Neil shares the history of how this recipe came to be.
In this episode Ali and Mitch travel with Mark bin Sali in the north of Broome to a popular fishing and camping spot, a place you can reach only with a 4WD and the bush know-how to find it. Mark shares with Ali and Mitch two of his favourite dishes that he has perfected since he was a young lad growing up in Broome and working on the pearling luggers off the south and north coast of Broome back in the 1980s.
In this final episode of Kriol Kitchen, Ali and Mitch draw on all their family influences from the Djugan/Gooniyandi tribes and their connection to their Philippines and Malay heritage. Now a roo stew can just be a plain old tasty one with traditional potatoes, carrots, celery and salt and pepper to taste.
