Cooking with Vegemite, part two

Cooking with Vegemite, part two

(Written 5 May, 2013, in Brisbane.  The weather was nice.)

I have now cooked several meals with Vegemite, mostly variations on the first one -- some had other vegetables or other meats.  One that was especially good was a sausage, apple, and cabbage dish seasoned with curry powder.  I probably would have added honey or golden syrup had it been available, and replaced the curry powder with coriander and ginger, but it was pretty good as it was. 

But I have reached my first conclusion:  Vegemite is an outstanding ingredient for stir-fry of all types.  A tablespoon or so will replace soy sauce or other salty agents in the cooking, though the salt content of the Vegemite is not at all overwhelming when added.  I've added the Vegemite at the final stages of cooking, when the meat and vegetables are combined and I've added some water to steam the vegetables a bit.  The Vegemite does not like to dissolve, so it needs to be swished around a bit -- one could do this by putting the vegemite in a bowl with a little water and whisking; I tried something like this with a fork but only had partial success breaking it up.  The effect is to thicken the broth slightly, like adding butter to finish a dish.  I'd suggest treating it like a soup base or bouillon cube.  In this regard, it's a lot like Bovril.

The flavor is very nice:  a little nutty, reminiscent of a satay or other peanut sauce.  The intense saltiness is diluted to a very pleasant level.  In one case, I was tempted to add a little salt to brighten it up.  It worked well with both curry powder and Thai seasoning (garlic, basil, and chilies , but I expect that the flavor will complement any type of stir-fry.  If you would put soy sauce in it, Vegemite should work well, too. 

I am not sure what is next.  We will be in Cairns for a week, so I will be thinking about other things to do with it.  I might try coating chicken with it, then breading it and frying the result.  Just to check it out.