antipinkkitten This week’s recipe was a lot of firsts for us: We had never really had Kangaroo or eaten Taro Root. As I mentioned on Instagram the other day, I’ve enjoyed Taro – but just as an ingredient in my bubble tea. Eating the roots? Never. And it was a journey. Before we get into the prep, let’s talk about the history of this recipe.
Historical Context of eating Kangaroo
One thing to note: The only truly native ingredient to Australia, outside of animals, would be Macadamia Nuts. All other foods would have been brought to Australia through migration from Africa.
Additional ingredients would have been brought over the tens of thousands of years with migration to and from Tasmania, the Torres Strait Islands and migrations from India; along with other parts of Asia.
This meant that by the time the Ancestors of Aboriginals arrived in Australia, they had travelled throughout other regions and had brought knowledge and ingredients with them. However, any good traveller knows – Even if you have something, that doesn’t mean you can grow it in your new region. Many of the ingredients may have grown well on select coasts, but would not have been viable inside the outback.
The Recipe background
With this recipe, we went with the assumption that we had Kangaroo, because they are prevalent, even to this day, and has a long documented history of being consumed by the Aboriginals. We are focusing on the coastal regions, allowing for more ingredients (Specifically, Taro Root). Finally, our timeline is a bit wider than we’ve had the opportunity with other regions, because the first European Contact was not until 1606, meaning the background of colonialism, and the mass introduction of ingredients took much longer. Nevertheless, we kept the recipe simple. It’s just three ingredients.
Roasted Kangaroo Steaks, with Taro Root
Ingredients
- 4 Taro Roots
- 500g of Kangaroo Loins
- Sea Salt to taste
Instructions
- On the day before, you need to peel the Taro Roots and soak it for 24 hours, in cold water.
- Once the Taro Roots have soaked for 24 hours, you will want to strain, rinse, dry (and probably) rinse them again. Taro Root expels a egg-white similar substance from it.
- Slice the Taro Root in about 2-4 cm slices. Try to keep them uniform.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Lay flat on a Baking Pan, sprinkle salt on one side. Cook for 10 minutes.
- After the first side, flip each slice, and sprinkle with sea salt again. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Once done, set aside and work on the Kangaroo.
- Preheat the oven to 430 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Take the Kangaroo and rinse off the blood, then pat dry. Once dried, arrange the kangaroo on the baking pan, sprinkling sea salt on top.
- Cook for 6 minutes. Once over, flip the meat and return to the oven for an additional 6 minutes.
- Once done, you can drizzle the Kangaroo with Honey.
Notes
Some individuals will have an allergic reaction to raw Taro Root on their skin. If you suspect it could be you or just want to be cautious, wear gloves while handling it prior to cooking.
Reviews
Meghan’s Review
4 out of 5 stars
I’m actually surprised how much I enjoyed this recipe. As we all know, I’m a seasoning fiend. I need the complicated, 50-step kind of recipes and when I started the research for Australia, I was immediately disappointed. However, once I made this recipe, I will never doubt the simplicity of just meat, root vegetables and salt. A couple things that would have made this a 5 star? Using an oil to provide more fat to the meat and not being in the house while the Kangaroo was cooking – The smell was unappealing.
Bradly’s Review
4 out of 5 stars
Kangaroo, what is there to say about it? I’ll start by saying it was delicious but had a smell to it both before and after cooking that was a little off-putting. The taro root was something as well. After the soaking period for the taro, it was slimy like what I imagine holding a live squid would be like. But the taro was good but kinda plain in taste. But even with all of this I would give the meal a 4 out of 5. It would have been a 5 if the kangaroo had a more appetizing smell.
P.S. Like the plates used in our photography? We sell these Basswood Plates in our store and you can check them to get your own!
