by Deb Worgan

Are you looking for something that is nutritious, healthy, lean, high in protein and iron, tasty and sustainably sourced? Kangaroo might be the answer.

All kangaroo meat sold in Australia is wild-harvested. This means professional licensed shooters harvest them directly from their environment. State and federal laws regulate this process to ensure sustainability, humane practices, and food safety.

Due to dietary restrictions, I was tempted to try kangaroo recently and was very pleased with these meals.

I’ll share a tip from a friend that ensures the Roo meat is tender – rub Bicarb soda all over the meat and leave it for exactly 20 minutes – no more, then rinse it off. Cut to size and keep it cool until you’re ready to cook. It makes all the difference.

I first tried Roo steaks as I wanted something that could be barbecued.

Texan-style Roo Steaks (serves 4)

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

500g kangaroo fillets or steak, remove from fridge and coat with bicarb, as noted above before cooking

Salt and pepper

Coleslaw, to serve

Baked potatoes in foil, to serve

Sour cream, to serve

BBQ Sauce Ingredients

100ml tomato sauce

1 tsp hot English mustard

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp maple syrup

Method

For the BBQ sauce combine all the ingredients together.

Heat oil in a pan over a medium to high heat. Season the kangaroo and fry for 2 – 3 minutes on each side. Pour in the sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes, basting the meat with the sauce until the sauce becomes thick and glossy.

Remove meat and rest for 3 – 4 minutes before slicing.

Serve kangaroo with baked potatoes, sour cream and coleslaw.

Kangaroo Red Curry Slow Cooker (serves 4)

Then I tried a curry but swapped out the beef for Kangaroo.

Ingredients

500g Kangaroo, remove from fridge and coat with bicarb, as noted above before dicing

2 tablespoons red curry paste

400g tin light coconut milk

500g sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

200g shallots, peeled and halved

2 teaspoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Juice of a lime

⅓ cup coriander leaves, chopped

¼ cup roasted peanuts, chopped

Cooked brown rice, to serve

Method

Place diced kangaroo, curry paste, coconut milk and sweet potato into a slow cooker.

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or until the meat is tender.

Add fresh shallots, sauce, sugar and lime juice, 30 minutes before the end.

Serve the curry with brown rice and top with coriander and peanuts

Kangaroo Kebabs (serves 4)

I’d like to try this one too.

Ingredients

500g kangaroo meat, remove from fridge and coat with bicarb as noted above, before dicing and threading onto skewers.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small brown onion, diced

1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced

Method

Heat a barbecue or chargrill pan to medium-high.

Spray oil on kangaroo kebabs.

Cook kebabs for 2 minutes on each side or until browned and cooked to your liking.

Heat olive oil, onion, garlic and chilli in a large non-stick saute pan, over a low heat for 5 minutes.

Serve kebabs with the fried onion mix and rice.