In no particular order, a selection of some uncommon ingredients mixed with a couple of basic, but awesome ones.
These products are ones that I’ve either kept going back to, or pulled out for special occasions during my cheffing days and I’ve never got sick of any of them. They’re all packed with flavour and aroma and most have their own unique story.
You’re welcome to add your own in the comments as I’d love to hear what is sitting at the top of everyone else’s list, and maybe even find something new for myself.
1. Wattleseed
Amazing hazelnut and coffee-like flavours that can be used for sweet or savoury. Infuse it into custard-based dishes, or as a focal ingredient in a marinade to really extract the flavour. More info and Wattleseed recipes here.
2. Green Ants
Typically found far-north in the tropics and are well-known around Cairns and Broome. Give their bum a good lick for an intense lemon hit. If hunting ants isn't quite your thing you can also buy them freeze dried.
3. Muttonbird
Muttonbirds are typically found in Tasmania and at the south of Victoria. They have a very rich and unique flavour that's either loved or loathed. The meat is rather sweet but is closely followed up with a bitter charred-like taste. Head over to the Muttonbird post for more information and recipes using Muttonbird.
4. Bone Marrow Wobbly, greasy and rather rich. Scoop out the centre of roasted beef bones with a butter knife and slurp it straight down. Otherwise, spread straight onto hot toast.
5. Blue Cheese I mean really good quality, putrid-smelling, mouldy blue cheese. It’s fantastic served room temperature on a plain cracker, or folded through a creamy sauce, or melted over eye-fillet steak just before serving.
6. Abalone Abalone are basically large marine snails which feed on algae. Less is more when cooking abalone so slice thinly and sear quickly. Then all you need is a sprinkle of salt. There‘s more info and cooking ideas on Abalone here.
7. Steak Tartare A meat dish made from finely chopped, ground or thinly sliced raw beef. Also served with chopped capers, onions, parsley, egg yolk, cornichons, and lemon juice.
8. Truffle Oil Drizzle it over steak, fold it through mashed potatoes, or drizzle over field mushrooms before roasting. In fact, do all three and prepare yourself for a very tasty dinner.
9. Vegemite An Australian favourite. A strong dark-brown paste perfect for spreading on toast. Can be added to hot water to make a flavoursome beverage, or try spreading it on bread and topping with hot water for a surprisingly tasty soup (vegemite soup pictured right). My favourite is to fold it through mashed potato.
10. Wallaby Ribs Wallaby ribs are an amazing alternative to the common pork spare ribs. They’re quite a bit smaller but a perfect size for a finger-food alternative. They even have a small extra bite-sized piece of meat on one end. Sit back with a beer and throw down a dozen or two.
Find more information and recipes on wallaby meat here.
11. Crocodile Legs Crocodile legs hold a strange resemblance to tip-less chicken wings, only bigger, meatier and with a distinct sweet pork flavour. Tender, juicy, and very tasty. Find out more by heading to my post Crocodile Food in a Snap.
12. Black Sapote
aka Chocolate Pudding Fruit. Typically found in warmer tropical climates, this fruit is delicious eaten fresh or used as a chocolate substitute in some recipes and milkshakes. It tastes and looks like chocolate pudding, and considering it's a fruit, the look may be unappealing to some.
13. Lemon Aspen
A small grape-sized fruit that has a lemon hit the size of a speeding truck hitting a brick wall. Great for sauces, beverages, marinades, or simply as a flavour enhancer. Head over here for More info and Cooking Ideas using Lemon Aspen.
14. Duck No matter which way duck is cooked, it’s fantastic. The rich flavour of this fatty meat is to die for. Works really well with a rich-flavoured mushroom risotto.
15. Riberries A small tartish berry with a strong clove flavour that goes extremely well with apple based dishes and sauces. They are even really nice to just eat on their own, especially if they’re frozen. To the left - Riberry and Apple Crumble. More info on Riberries and the the Riberry Crumble recipe here.
16. Red Wine and Dark Chocolate One of the most outstanding flavour combinations on the planet. Reduce some wine in a saucepan, stir in some dark chocolate, then pour over everything. Add some cream if you need to dial it down a bit. Works well on red meat. Here we've matched a chocolate red wine sauce with Wattleseed and Kangaroo.
17. Maldon Sea Salt Or another high quality sea salt. The difference a good salt makes to a dish is phenomenal. Stir it through a risotto and after every two or three bites, you’ll get an amazing flavour burst from the flakes. I like dry out fresh thyme and rosemary then mix it through the salt and keep in a pepper grinder. Instant flavour and aroma to hot dishes.
18. Barramundi A very tasty, strong flavoured fish that retains its juices and easily flakes apart. Can be served with nearly anything. The strong flavour works really well with mashed potato. Photo to the left taken from our Macadamia Post, Orange and Macadamia Nut Crusted Barramundi.
19. Cuttlefish Similar to calamari but more delicate. It’s richer in flavour and more tender. To find out more visit our post Cooking With Cuttlefish.
20. Monin Rose Syrup Strong flowery rose aroma with a pleasant sweet rose taste. Great in cocktails, great with desserts, great over ice-cream, great straight out of the bottle. Available in delis and some hospitality retail stores.
....And For the Encore: The following two didn’t quite make the cut but they’re too good not to get a mention.
Leek Yes it’s a basic vegetable but if sliced thinly and cooked right out with butter and cream (and of course a fair chunk of salt), you’re playing a different game entirely.
Sweetened Condensed Milk and Milo The condensed milk is fantastic straight from the can or tube but mix it with Milo and it’s a contender for kicking no.16 off it’s pedestal.
And if you'd like to read up on Witchetty Grubs, head over to my other post: Eat ya Grub or there's no dessert!