So you’ve heard it’s good for you, and good for the environment, you’ve even tried it at your local restaurant a few times – but when it comes to cooking Roo at home, you’re a little nervous.
What cut should you buy? How should you cook it? What should you serve it with?
There’s no need to overcomplicate things – Roo is a seriously lean red meat option that is deep red in colour and has a sweet, rich flavor – so it can be easily substituted for any family meal that might traditionally incorporate lamb or beef.
For those who love hearty rich foods, sweet, salty or umami flavours, such as tomatoes, red berries, red wine, soy and oyster sauce pair beautifully with Roo.
If you prefer the freshness of Greek lamb, and Thai salads, Roo also tastes great with a squeeze of fresh lemon and chopped garlic, or lime and chilli with fresh herbs.
Like all red meats you get the most out of the flavour of Roo when it’s barbecued rare, with a simple salt and pepper seasoning, or maybe even a native spice like lemon myrtle, as well as a good slosh of Australian extra virgin olive oil to keep the moisture in.
But when you sit down to your beautiful piece of perfectly cooked meat, with a side of potatoes and green beans, what should you grab from the cupboard or fridge to really make your Roo sing?
When you cook a piece of beef, it’s all about the horseradish or seeded mustard, when it comes to lamb it’s a squeeze of tomato sauce, or a dollop of Greek yogurt with lemon and garlic – but what should you serve with Roo?
The answer is, just about anything – but for those looking for the perfect accompaniment, here are our top five condiments to complement your Roo…
Shiraz sauce
While many Kangaroo recipes call for rich red wine jus and reductions, the simplest and most delicious accompaniment for your perfectly cooked Kangaroo Fillet is a good slosh of homemade (or bought) shiraz sauce.
There are a number of condiment companies that produce shiraz or red wine sauces as part of their repertoire, or you can use up left over bottles of red by making your own.
Horseradish
Yep, it’s perfect with beef, but horseradish is also an excellent accompaniment for Roo too. Its earthy, sweet and spicy flavour adds a real zing to Kangaroo meat, especially when paired with root vegetables such as roasted parsnip, carrot and beetroot.
Prepared or creamed horseradish is great on its own, or try Newman’s Horseradish and Beetroot Relish. For a quick and easy Roo salad combine horseradish with sour cream, baby spinach, boiled beetroot and top with thinly sliced rare seared Roo fillet.
Anchovy butter
No Australian kitchen would be complete without a cookbook by Stephanie Alexander or Maggie Beer, so when it comes to cooking our most iconic national meat, who better to ask than these two stalwarts.
Incidentally, both Alexander and Beer see anchovies as the perfect accompaniment to Roo, with two slightly different kangaroo recipes that showcase the meat in all its glory with anchovy butter, and, again, beetroot. The richness of the butter, with the sourness of lemon and the saltiness of anchovies perfectly align with the flavour of Roo.
Charred lime dressing
Irish Australian TV chef, Colin Fassnidge loves cooking with Roo, and uses fresh healthy ingredients to make the natural flavours of the meat really sing.
In his Roo recipe featured in Delicious Magazine Fassnidge brings a Mexican flavour profile to Roo, preparing it with paprika, garlic and thyme, and serving with chargrilled corn on the cobb, avocado, coriander and a delicious charred lime dressing, made simply with just three ingredients: lime, buttermilk and extra virgin olive oil. Delish indeed!
Tomato chutney
Apart from being seriously lean, one of the best things about Roo is how versatile it is, which is why the most adaptable of all condiments – the great Australian tomato chutney – works wonders with any Roo meal.
Whether a topper for your Kangaroo Burger, a complement to your Kanga Bangas, or a tasty side to savour with each mouthful of your barbequed Roo fillet, tomato chutney provides the perfect mix of sweet and salty to boost the subtle flavour of Roo. You can buy good quality tomato chutneys from most supermarkets (we love Australia’s own Beerenberg range), speciality stores, or why not try making a batch yourself?
