This Indigenous TikTok Creator Transforms Aussie Staples Into Gourmet Meals
Kooking with a Koori is giving new life to regular Aussie ingredients, one deadly meal at a time.
If you’re an Aussie with a TikTok account, it’s likely that you’ve come across one of Nathan Lyons’ #MadFeedz videos.
I mean, they’re pretty hard to miss between his out-of-the-box Kooking with a Koori creations like devon snack packs and devon steaks, to the more traditional dishes like like damper and sausage rolls.
But despite having only started sharing his recipes on the app three months ago, the 35-year-old transport worker from NSW has managed to gain a loyal following of over 62,000 people.
And it’s this impressive following and engaging content that made TikTok decide partner with Lyons, a proud Koori man, for this NAIDOC Week this year.
For Lyons’ this partnership, and his sudden growth on the platform, was quite unexpected as he believes he’s “just a dad cooking dinner”.
“I’m very humbled and blessed to receive these amazing opportunities to work with a massive international social platform like TikTok,” Lyons told Junkee. “Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I’d be contacted by them, I’m just a dad cooking dinner.”
But while the partnership was a surprise, Nathan Lyons believes that it’s important that Aussies learn and understand the significance of NAIDOC, especially on TikTok where the creator regularly encounters racists and trolls under his content.
“There is a lot of misinformation in the [Indigenous] communities that needs to be addressed, too many stereotypes that need to be broken down,” Lyons said. “But I don’t feed the trolls. I tend to show them love, wish them a blessed day, thank them for taking the time to comment and view my videos.”
But more than just a dad cooking dinner, Nathan Lyons’ videos, that are always injected with humour and creativity, are an important reminder to Aussies that they don’t need to break the bank to whip up some good food.
The father of six is proud that he’s able to feed his family for under $20, and is glad that can share these dishes with people on TikTok — an app that he finds to be the perfect medium for his cooking content.
“We are an eight-person family on a single income, so money for us is always tight and making cheap, filling meals is important,” Lyons said. “Growing up we didn’t have a lot of money, so that’s where I learnt to shop and cook cheap. I can feed my family for $8.”
“People like to see things quickly and fast, and I think that’s why TikTok works — it’s short and sweet and gets the point across,” he continued. “I’ll make dinner and by the time I’m finished people are already watching what I just made.”
Kooking with a Koori also shared that the dishes he creates are either foods that he ate growing up — learned from his mum, aunties and nan — or creations that he taught himself. And Lyons’ kids seem to be sometimes-fans of this experimental cooking, but all support their father’s new-found fame.
“The kangaroo pie was a hit, but the slow-cooked kangaroo curry was my personal favourite,” Lyons said. “My oldest is salty [about my TikTok success], but my middle boy tells everyone — even randoms at the shop!”
As Kooking with a Koori continues his TikTok journey by creating deadly meals out of the Aussie staples people often turn their nose up at, Lyons just hopes that Keen’s Curry, his number one staple and most-featured ingredient, will one day sponsor him.
And for those curious about what other ingredients top Nathan Lyons’ list, he rates the Little Greeves Food Co chilli oil as his second favourite, followed by eggs, noodles and miscellaneous tinned meats like tuna, corned beef, Spam, chicken and salmon.
So Keens Curry, the ball is in your court now.
You can follow Kooking with a Koori on TikTok here.