Australian Cuisine

Australia's cuisine is mainly seafood. Australians will occasionally have smoked kangaroo, beef cheeks, chooks (aka chickens) or other land animals to go with their meals. However, most Australians diet will consist of oysters, fish of various kinds, shrimp, or really any other seafood.

The reason for this is because of the geography. Most of the population of Australia lives on the coast, or near the coast. Inland, is the brush and outback, which makes a hard life. Very few people live in the outback, most of those people are ranchers. Since so many people live on the coast, of course they are going to eat more fish. Just like people in Florida tend to eat more fish than people in Kansas!

I decided to try my hand at making a true Australian dish! I went to a website where people can submit recipes and I typed in "Australia." This gave me recipes for Australian food, a lot of times submitted by Australians!

I found a recipe that was submitted by several individuals for breaded tilapia. If you have never made breaded tilapia the Aussie way, you are missing out. Not only was it delicate and flavorful, it was very relaxing to make! Basically, one thaws the frozen fish in cool water, then dips it into a milk, mustard and vinegar mixture, then lays it into cornmeal, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, thyme and some more seasonings. Then places them onto a well oiled pan and broils them for about four minutes on each side. I found it extremely therapeutic to handle the cold, wet fish. It's not like shake and bake pork with the nasty smell and liquids. It's refreshing and comforting. I came away thinking about becoming a sushi chef.

I also made a pea salad that is often eaten on an Australian picnic! I made the healthy version because it looked easier. I placed thawed peas, a bell pepper, and water chestnuts into a bowel. And dressed it with dairy free sour cream (you could use regular sour cream or yogurt), Dijon mustard and dill. That was it! The dish is very simple, but quite flavorful. Three out of four of my family loved it. However, be warned, because it is an unusual combination of flavors some people won't enjoy it. Try making it in a small amount first, that way if it is a bust for you or your family there won't be much waste.

My last side I made, was a tomato and onion salad. This was extremely easy, all one has to do is slice tomatoes and onions and place them in a bowel with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The result is a tangy sweet side that deserves seconds (or thirds!) The only thing I would change next time, is to put less onions. When the salad was marinating for an hour it did add a great flavor. However, when one goes to eat the onion itself it is quite strong. So instead of putting a full onion, with the five tomatoes, I would put in half an onion (or less if your family isn't a fan of onions.)

I also made an Australian mocktail. I blended rice milk (regular milk or coconut milk would be yummy too), ice, a banana, a kiwi, and some crushed pineapple and garnished the smoothie with a kiwi. This wasn't my favorite drink in the world. The kiwi tickles the throat and tongue, it wasn't sweet enough for my taste (one could add agave nectar or sugar to make it sweeter), and the flavors weren't my favorite. My family didn't seem to hate it, but it wasn't something that we were in awe of. However, if you are one to like a tropical drink and don't mind a tickled tongue go for it!

Overall, my Australian meal was very delicious! I will most definitely be making breaded fish and pea salad again! Perhaps, if you are stuck for some dinner ideas look up another countries favorite foods. You might have a relaxing time cooking, and of course, eating!