Grilled Kangaroo with Anise Myrtle and Desert Raisin
A piece of kangaroo seared rare, rubbed with anise myrtle and desert raisin (kutjera), a small dried native berry with notes of caramel and tamarillo. Served with just-wilted warrigal greens (native spinach).
A piece of kangaroo seared rare, rubbed with anise myrtle and desert raisin (kutjera), a small dried native berry with notes of caramel and tamarillo. Served with just-wilted warrigal greens (native spinach).
Kangaroo, we've known it forever on this land — it's a meat that doesn't weigh you down, gives strength without heaviness. When I was preparing for the track, my body craved iron, clean muscle, and I always came back to this. You sear it fast, very fast, leave it rare in the middle, otherwise it dries out and you waste the gift. I rub it with crushed desert raisin, it smells like caramel and warm earth, and then I'm both on the starting line and in the bush of my childhood.
- •Kangaroo fillet — one nice piece per person (lean protein)
- •Desert raisin (kutjera, Solanum centrale) — a handful of dried berries, crushed (caramelized native seasoning (native plant, not to be confused with tomato))
- •Anise myrtle leaves — a few crushed leaves (aniseed perfume)
- •Warrigal greens (native spinach) — a bunch (wild vegetable)
Grilled Kangaroo with Anise Myrtle and Desert Raisin
A piece of kangaroo seared rare, rubbed with anise myrtle and desert raisin (kutjera), a small dried native berry with notes of caramel and tamarillo. Served with just-wilted warrigal greens (native spinach).
Why this dish? Kangaroo is one of the oldest traditional meats on the continent, and also one of the leanest and richest in iron — exactly the profile a 400-meter runner needs. This dish connects her people's hunting heritage to the nutritional discipline of the athlete Cathy Freeman became: lean protein, iron, clean energy.
Kangaroo, we've known it forever on this land — it's a meat that doesn't weigh you down, gives strength without heaviness. When I was preparing for the track, my body craved iron, clean muscle, and I always came back to this. You sear it fast, very fast, leave it rare in the middle, otherwise it dries out and you waste the gift. I rub it with crushed desert raisin, it smells like caramel and warm earth, and then I'm both on the starting line and in the bush of my childhood.
Ingredients (period version)
- Kangaroo fillet — one nice piece per person (lean protein)
- Desert raisin (kutjera, Solanum centrale) — a handful of dried berries, crushed (caramelized native seasoning (native plant, not to be confused with tomato))
- Anise myrtle leaves — a few crushed leaves (aniseed perfume)
- Warrigal greens (native spinach) — a bunch (wild vegetable)
Ingredients
- Kangaroo fillet (or lean beef flank/skirt steak) — 4 pieces of 150 g (lean protein)
- Dried desert raisin powder (kutjera), or substitute sumac — 2 tsp (native spice)
- Dried anise myrtle (or crushed aniseed) — 1 tsp (anise note)
- Spinach (or silverbeet/sea spinach if available) — 300 g (greens)
- Olive oil — 2 tbsp (cooking)
- Salt and pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Take the meat out 30 minutes before: it must be at room temperature to stay tender.
- Mix the desert raisin and anise myrtle, rub generously onto the meat with a drizzle of oil.
- Heat a pan or grill over very high heat and sear the meat 1.5 to 2 minutes per side: it stays rare in the middle (overcooked kangaroo becomes dry).
- Let rest 5 minutes under foil so the juices redistribute.
- Meanwhile, wilt the spinach in a pan with a little oil and salt.
- Slice the meat on the bias and serve on the bed of greens, with a final dusting of desert raisin.
How it was made : Kangaroo was hunted and cooked on the coals or in a ground oven long before Europeans arrived; its very lean meat is traditionally eaten rare. Desert raisin and anise myrtle are native aromatics gathered and often dried for preservation.
The contemporary twist : Arrange in a fan of rare slices with a trail of kutjera powder on the plate, like a red ochre track — the color of the central Australian earth.
Sources : Damien Coulthard & Rebecca Sullivan, Warndu Mai (Good Food), Hodder & Stoughton, 2019
Cathy Freeman · Charactorium