Quick and Easy Kangaroo Chilli

Kangaroo chilli with rice

Kangaroo is perhaps not something many people would associate with chilli - or as an item to appear on the dinner table. As the world has opened up, however, due to improved transport and the sharing of foodstuffs and ideas, many more ingredients are available to us that we may never have had access to or considered before. This recipe came from a series of kangaroo recipes I prepared a few years back for an article - the online publisher of which has since ceased operating - and I hope it is something you will try. The kangaroo used in this recipe was bought in a High Street supermarket but the meat is widely available online if you have no local stockist.

Cook Time

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 20 min

Ready in: 30 min

Yields: 1 serving

Kangaroo leg meat

Ingredients

• 8 ounce (220g) can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
• 8 ounce (220g) can red kidney beans in water
• 1/2 white onion
• 1 medium size and strength red chilli
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Salt and black pepper
• 4 ounce (110g) kangaroo leg steak
• 3 ounces (75g) basmati or long grain rice
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped coriander (cilantro), plus a little extra to garnish
• 2 teaspoons grated cheddar cheese
• 3 central slices form large green chilli to garnish

Method

Put the cumin seeds in a dry frying pan and the pan on to a medium to high heat. Shake the pan extremely regularly to toast the seeds without burning them. You will smell them cooking after a minute or so and this is when they are done. Grind until smooth with a pestle and mortar, or in an electric spice grinder if you prefer.

Sauteing onion and spices

Pour 2 tablespoons only of the oil into a saucepan and bring it up to a medium heat. The half peeled onion should be finely sliced, the garlic clove should be peeled and either finely sliced or diced and seeding the chilli before it is finely chopped is optional. Add the lot to the hot oil, along with the ground cumin seeds, and saute until the onion is just softened, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon.

Canned tomatoes are added to spiced onion mix

Pour the tomatoes into the pan and stir well and season with salt and pepper. Turn up the heat until the combination starts to simmer. Adjust the heat to achieve a gentle but steady simmer.

Red kidney beans are added to spicy tomatoes

Tip the canned kidney beans into a colander in your sink and rinse well under running cold water before adding tot eh spicy tomato mix. Stir well and continue to simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

When the beans are added to the chilli, wash the rice through a sieve under running cold water and add to a pot of boiling, salted water to simmer for 10 minutes (or as directed on the pack).

Chopping kangaroo leg meat

When the rice is on to cook, chop the kangaroo meat with a cleaver or large chef's knife to around the texture of coarsely minced/ground beef.

Kangaroo meat is browned in hot oil

Pour the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil into a frying pan and bring it up to  medium to high heat. Quickly brown the chopped kangaroo meat in the hot oil before removing from the pan with a slotted spoon and stirring it into the simmering sauce. Be sure to drain off as much of the oil as possible before it is added to the sauce.

Stir the teaspoon of coriander into the chilli a couple of minutes before the cooking time is up.

Kangaroo chilli is spooned on to bed of rice

Drain the rice through a sieve and allow it to steam off and dry out for a couple of minutes before arranging in the base of a deep plate in the form of a bed for the chilli. Carefully taste the chilli and adjust the seasoning if required before spooning on to the rice and garnishing with the remaining chopped coriander.

Grated cheese is arranged on chilli

Carefully spoon the cheese onto the centre of the chilli and finish with the 3 chilli slices.

Kangaroo Steak and Mango Salad Rolls

Sliced kangaroo steak is combined with mango salad and served on bread rolls

A few weeks ago, I discovered that my local Lidl (budget German supermarket) was selling kangaroo steaks. As they were only to be on offer in the short term, I bought a few packs for the freezer and over the course of the following week or two, defrosted them one at a time and created my own kangaroo recipes. I thought I would also share one of the dishes I came up with on this blog. I'm told that Lidl will be selling kangaroo again at some point in the future so if you want to look out for it - or perhaps buy kangaroo meat online - you may want to give this idea a go.

Baby potatoes ready for boiling

Ingredients (Serves One)

6 to 8 baby new potatoes
2 small kangaroo steaks (each about three ounces)
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
3 or 4 fresh mango chunks (around half a small mango), sliced
1/2 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
Generous handful fresh watercress or other green salad leaf
2 soft bread rolls

Starting to fry kangaroo steaks

Directions

Put the potatoes in to a pot of salted cold water and bring to a simmer for about twenty to twenty-five minutes until just softened. Drain, allow to steam for a few minutes, cover and leave to cool completely.

Kangaroo steaks are turned in frying pan

Pour a couple of tablespoons or so of oil in to a non-stick frying pan and bring it up to a high heat. Kangaroo meat is very lean so like other lean meats, it has to be cooked very quickly at a high heat or very slowly at a low heat. It should also remain a little bit pink in the centre. I fried these steaks for two and a half minutes each side but you could give them a little bit longer if desired. Do be very careful not to overcook them, however, or they will be incredibly tough.

Washing watercress salad

While the steaks are frying, you can wash the watercress through a colander and sit it aside to drain.

Fresh mango chunks and red onion

These mango chunks were actually bought like this in a small plastic tub from my local supermarket. I suppose at a push you could use canned mango chunks, provided they are in juice and not syrup.

Cooked and cooled potatoes are halved

Take the cooked kangaroo steaks from the frying pan and sit them on a plate to rest. Cut the potatoes in half and bring a deep pan of oil up to a fairly high heat.

Deep frying potato halves

Add the potatoes to the hot oil and fry for four or five minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.

Combining mango salad ingredients

Add the mango and onion slices to a bowl with the watercress. Season and stir.

Sliced kangaroo steaks added to mango salad

Thinly slice the kangaroo steaks across the grain and add them to the salad. Carefully turn them through the mix with a large spoon.

Carefully turning kangaroo slices through mango salad

Cut the rolls in half. Lay the bottom halves on your serving plate and evenly divide the kangaroo and mango salad between the two. Put the tops on the rolls and plate the crispy potato halves alongside.

Kangaroo and mango salad is laid on roll bottom halves