Warm couscous and pumpkin salad with dukkah kangaroo fillet

If you're after a sating salad with plenty of protein, you may have met your match. Lean kangaroo meat and roasted vegetables tick the 'healthy' boxes, while mint and coriander pump up the freshness, and dukkah adds a delicious texture.

Credit: Gourmet Game

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

You could use any grain in this warm salad — quinoa, barley or burghul, included — but we think the yielding nature of pearl couscous (also known as Israeli couscous) provides a delicious bite.  

Ingredients

• 500 g pumpkin, peeled and diced into 1 cm cubes
  
  
• 2 medium zucchini, diced
  
  
• 1 red onion, halved, peeled and diced
  
  
• 6 cloves garlic, skin on
  
  
• ½ cup olive oil
  
  
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  
  
• sea salt and ground black pepper
  
  
• 1 cup (200 g) pearl couscous
  
  
• 2 cups hot vegetable stock
  
  
• 500 g kangaroo fillet
  
  
• ¼ cup dukkah
  
  
• 2 tbsp chopped mint
  
  
• ¼ cup chopped coriander
  
  
• juice of a lemon juice
  
  
• ¼ cup crumbled feta
  
  
• ¼ cup almonds, roughly chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan forced) and line baking tray with baking paper. Place pumpkin, zucchini, onion, garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil and vinegar together, tossing until well coated in oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Place tray in preheated oven and roast for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.

To make the pearl couscous, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add pearl couscous and cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden. Pour over vegetable stock, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 16 minutes or until stock has been absorbed. Stir occasionally.

For the kangaroo, heat remaining oil in large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. Rub kangaroo with dukkah, place in frying pan and brown the meat on all sides. Transfer kangaroo to prepared baking tray and cook in preheated oven for 5-10 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly.

To serve, combine roasted vegetables, couscous, sliced kangaroo, mint, coriander and lemon juice together in a large mixing bowl, tossing until well combined. To finish, sprinkle over feta and almonds.

 

Recipe and photograhy from Gourmet Game.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

You could use any grain in this warm salad — quinoa, barley or burghul, included — but we think the yielding nature of pearl couscous (also known as Israeli couscous) provides a delicious bite.