Bush Food – Kangaroo

A Food We Have Never Tried Before

The Traditional Owners of This Land, and Elders Past, Present and Future play an important role in Australia’s food culture and history. Aboriginal people have been cooking and eating local food from the land for thousands of years (Food In Every Country 2017). The native plants and animals eaten were given the name bush tucker (or bushfoods).  Bushfoods have great cultural relevance in Australia as a key traditional element of the diet of Indigenous Australians. Kangaroo meat is an example of bush tucker, and is unique to Australia. Through learning about traditional and adapted methods of cooking and eating this food, we can better understand our food culture.

The Kangaroo plays an important part in the history and survival of Indigenous Australians. The large animal was often hunted by groups, with weapons such as spears (Food In Every Country 2017). Once caught, the entire animal was often cooked on hot coals (Wright 2006). As the carcass began to swell it was removed, gutted, the fur scraped off, cooked further on the remaining hot coals (Wright 2006). From here it was enjoyed by all, but particular the men of the group (Wright 2006).

Today Kangaroo can be purchased pre-packaged from local supermarkets, markets and butchers. It is known as a terrific source for protein, low in total fat and filled with heart friendly omega-3s (Native Tastes of Australia). Kangaroo in recent times is generally used as a barbeque meat for social occasions and served medium rare. Due to its low fat content it is cooked for short times to avoid drying out. Kangaroo would most frequently be barbequed on a high heat, either seasoned or unseasoned, and used on its own or in a salad. Whilst I have unfortunately never tried Kangaroo myself, it is often described as having a unique flavour and best enjoyed lightly seasoned (Native Tastes of Australia). Considering the links Kangaroo has to Australian culture and its health benefits, I believe it is something unique and worth trying.

Food In Every Country 2017. Australia Aboriginies and Bush Tucker [Online] Available at: http://www.foodbycountry.com/Algeria-to-France/Australia-Aborigines-and-Bush-Tucker.html [Accessed 17 May 2017].

Native Tastes of Australia. n.d. Kangaroo [Online] Available at: http://tasteaustralia.biz/bushfood/native-meats-seafood/kangaroo/ [Accessed 17 May 2017].

Wright, W. 2006. Aboriginal Cooking Techniques [Online] Available at:
https://www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/education/programs/pdfs/aboriginal-cooking-techniques-2006.pdf [Accessed 17 May 2017].

Swedish Meatball Subs – Recipe

A New Recipe

Hello everyone and welcome back to Charlie and Jess’ food blog. This week I am excited to bring you a new recipe I have discovered. It is quite simple and I urge anyone to give it a try as it provides a delicious meal for a whole family.

The dish that I prepared was Swedish Meatball subs.

Swedish meatballs or “Köttbullar” are similar to any meatballs, however, are generally smaller in size and are served with creamy gravy and lingonberry (Delishhh 2008). They have been made popular in Australia through the Swedish furniture shop IKEA.

To make the base of my meatballs, start with 500 grams of pork mince and 500 grams of beef mince. To the mince, add 2 eggs (important to hold the meatballs together), 150 grams of bread crumbs, 1 large onion (finely diced), a handful of chopped up dill and salt and pepper to your liking. You then mix all of the ingredients together with your hands. This is not the most pleasant feeling but will provide the best results in terms of your base.

Once the ingredients are mixed, cover a large frying pan with oil. Take a small amount of the base and roll it in your hands until you are left with a ball. This is similar to rolling Play-Doh balls as a child. Keep doing this until you have used all of the meat, trying to keep the balls a similar size. The first problem I encountered was that my frying pan was not big enough to fit all of the meatballs on so make sure you use the largest one you have. I used 2 frying pans.

Fry the meatballs until they are brown and cooked through. It is not easy to tell when they are cooked through. I had this problem but solved it by slicing one in half and observing the insides. Once all the meatballs are cooked, push them to the side of the pan, leaving the middle vacant. Place 200 mL of cream, 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard, 20 mL of beef stock and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce on the middle of the pan. Mix with the meatballs for about 10 minutes while on a low heat.

Take the pan off the stove and let the meatballs sit for 10 minutes. After doing this, cut halfway through a baguette, lining the bottom of it with cucumber slices. Place all the meatballs in with their sauce and apply lingonberry or cranberry sauce to the top.

This dish is best served with good company.

Delishhh 2008. Swedish Meatballs “Köttbullar” – Delishhh. [ONLINE] Available at: http://delishhh.com/2008/10/06/swedish-meatballs/. [Accessed 17 May 2017].

Malabar House – Restaurant Review

New Restaurant Review

I am writing this blog entry to review restaurant in the Eastern Suburbs of Adelaide, Malabar House. The authentic Indian restaurant is located in Hazelwood Park. It has recently changed hands from Flamingo Indian Bar and Grill. I attended this restaurant with my family. As my grandfather is Indian, this is a regular tradition for us and is part of our food culture.

The first thing I noticed at Malabar House is the extremely friendly staff who are constantly smiling. I find that at Indian restaurants, the staff consistently come over and ask how the food is. At Malabar house, this is different. The staff came over to us and just had conversations. They were thankful for us attending their restaurant and we were interested in the culture behind their food and which region of India they come from. The food originates from the South of India whereas the old restaurant was food from the North.

In terms of the food, it is my family’s tradition to share. We started the meal with an entrée of vegetable samosas and masala dosa. The samosas were served with a mint yoghurt and tamarind sauce and were filled with spiced potatoes and peas. Samosas are one of my favourite foods and these did not disappoint, perfectly crispy. The masala dosa is an Indian crepe filled with onion and potato curry. This was served with a delicious daal curry for flavour. A dosa is not something that I usually order but I will in the future. The crepe was spectacularly made and the filling was just as good. It is the perfect dish to share with a large family as you can cut it and pass it around.

For mains we ordered butter chicken, lamb rogan josh and channa masala. All mains were served with jeera rice, basmati rice with fried onions and cumin. The rice was flavoursome and could easily be eaten on its own. The butter chicken was one of the best that I have ever had. The sauce was really creamy and had the subtle blend of tomato and cashew nuts. My grandfather ordered the rogan josh hot. I found it difficult to eat as I am not fantastic with spice, but the flavour was exactly what you expect from a rogan josh. It was meaty, spicy and everyone enjoyed it. When I asked the waitress what she liked the most from the menu, she recommended the channa masala. This is a chickpea curry with an onion and tomato gravy. They advertise it as a “must try north Indian delicacy” and that is certainly what it is, my favourite dish of the night. All of this food was tied together with a kingfisher beer and delicious cheese naan.

I highly recommend this restaurant. The prices are generous with large food portions.

Glynde and Co. Review

Food Event Review

This blog entry will focus on the experience Charlie and myself had attending the Taste Glynde and Co. event on the 30^th of April 2017. The event was described as “An event that celebrates the rich 40-year history and cultural heritage of Glynde, home to a large cluster of award-winning food and beverage manufacturers” (Play & Go, 2017). This description is accurate to our experience. We particularly liked how the event encouraged anyone to come and celebrate local food culture and produce. In particular, the significance, history and process of making local food and it’s culture. Charlie and I really liked the focus on local produce and the importance placed on educating the public. These are two really important areas we think impact how every day locals eat and experience food.

The market-style event was set up in a large courtyard, with plenty of room to mingle and visit stalls. The stalls varied from small to large local businesses, but all were equal in size and inviting. Stalls offered a great assortment of food, including fresh items such as salad, packaged items such as home-made pasta and beverages such as local wine. Most stall owners were happy to have a chat about their product, which put further emphasis on the cultural significance of the event. Overall, we really enjoyed the experience of tasting and learning all about local products in such an inviting and positive environment.

Our major highlight for the event was a tent dedicated to cooking demonstrations (See photo below). We chose to watch Heather Day, a previous Master Chef contestant make Haloumi and Zucchini Fritters. She was really engaging, making the process seem quite simple, whilst also providing some general and helpful tips. Overall, this highlighted the educational side of the event in a really practical fashion. It was also a bonus that we got to taste her delicious creation afterwards!

Overall, we found the Taste Glynde & Co. event to be a wonderful celebration of local produce, presented in a welcoming and educational fashion. We would highly recommend anyone attend this event or similar in future as we struggled to find any major downsides. What a look into the culture and history of food in Adelaide.

Play & Go 2017. Taste Glynde & Co [ONLINE] Available at: http://playandgo.com.au/index.php/taste-glynde-co-30-apr-2017/. [ Accessed 8 May 2017].