Kangaroo Chilli Con Carne

I like chilli. I do. I wanted to make chilli con carne a while back, but never did until last night.

This'll be the first kangaroo recipe I'm posting. To some, eating kangaroo may seem a little weird. It's probably the stereotype of cuteness that surrounds the kangaroos, but kangaroo meat is one of the leanest meats available; and it's tasty too! I don't know if kangaroo meat if available outside of Australia, but you can just as easily substitute the kangaroo mince for beef in this recipe. However, if kangaroo meat is accessible, I highly recommend giving it a try!

I didn't plan on having it with white rice at first, but there seems to be a ton of it in my pantry. I originally wanted to steam brown rice but, against my better judgement, my friend (Adam) persuaded me to 'just eat the damned white rice'. However, this is a very versatile dish and can be eaten with (not just rice, but) all sorts of things, e.g. baked potatoes, nachos, etc..

Adam explained to me that Jamie Oliver adds yoghurt to his chilli con carne, and so he did so to his. I didn't try it but he seems to think it's very nice. I'll have to try that one next time.

I, personally, thought the portions wouldn't be big enough for me, so I adjusted accordingly to 500g of kangaroo mince, but this recipe will work well (as is) for four decent servings. I didn't make this one spicy, but the next time I make it, I shall, and I'll post a report.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
350g lean kangaroo mince
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander

2 tsp dried oregano
11/2 cups (390g) tomato pasta sauce
3 x 400g cans red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 cup water
1/3 cup coriander sprigs, to garnish (Optional)
1 tablespoon non-fat Greek yoghurt (Optional)
Steamed rice, to serve

Instructions:

Heat oil in a heavy-based casserole dish on a medium-high heat. Cook onion for about 5 minutes, stirring until softened. Add kangaroo and cook for another 3 minutes, breaking up mince with a wooden spoon to avoid any large lumps.

Stir through garlic and spices, and cook for another 1 minute, until fragrant. Stir in remaining ingredients and 1 cup water.

Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Garnish with coriander (or, at this point, mix in the yoghurt, or both) and serve with steamed rice.

Note: This recipe is available on MyFitnessPal, for those who are counting calories using that software, as Kangaroo Chilli Con Carne (Macro Meats recipe).