Braaied mielies smothered in Marmite butter

Marmite-smeared mielies could well be one of those childhood flavours that inspire the child to take food and its flavouring and the eating of it very seriously for the rest of their lives. But we can take it a step further, because there’s another perfect pairing that makes a hot mielie (corn on the cob) even more delicious: butter. So why not combine them…

Ah, Marmite. It finally came back and the inadvertent marketing campaign makes it seem more prevalent than it ever was before All That Happened. Then we all bought too much and now we need to find more ways to use it. Like this.

But wait, there’s more. Marmite and soy sauce; ever thought of that as a pairing? If you think about it, and conjure that black-as-night umami taste on your palate, then think of soy and add sweetness … now you’re edging towards the arena of sweet soy sauces, such as the Indonesian delight called kecap manis.

Oh yes, let’s add a bit of that to the mix…. My next thought was: black pepper. It was going to need some firm pepperiness to create a bit of a bulwark against it becoming too sweet. 

But we’re really talking about a butter here: a compound butter, that is. So, that’s the main ingredient in this recipe. There is only one tablespoon of Marmite in it, but 250 g of butter. Add just 1 dessertspoonful of sweet soy sauce such as kecap manis and that should be all the sweetness you need; just a hint. But add a tad more if you like. Then, add some pepper, give it a taste, and adjust with more if your palate tells you it needs more.

No salt at all though, as the Marmite and the soy have all the saltiness needed; and the butter is salted too.

(Double the quantity if you want to freeze more for later use)

Ingredients

250 g butter, softened (i.e. at room temperature)

1 heaped Tbsp marmite

1 dessertspoon sweet soy sauce (more if you like)

2 pinches black pepper (more if you like)

Method

Mix everything together in a bowl. Cook some mielies and smear it all over them. Wrap the rest in foil, tightly, and freeze. You can use the Marmite butter as a spread on toast, or slather some on your steak once it’s cooked, still piping hot, and ready to be served. DM

Tony Jackman is twice winner of the Galliova Food Writer of the year award, in 2021 and 2023

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