Deep-fried Vegemite Chicken

We always fall into the same trap of buying a large jar of Vegemite (pronounced "veggie-might" and not "Vuh-Gym-M'tee") when it's on sale, and then having Vegemite toast for a few days or weeks before it starts getting lost in the back of the larder (behind the chocolate bars and boxes of cereal). And then it would be a few months before we find it again (usually when we're looking for something else) and realise that at this rate, we might only manage to finish half the jar before it goes past its shelf life. Well, fortunately, there are more ways than one to use it, and so I prepared a dish of deep-fried chicken coated in a sticky Vegemite and black vinegar sauce. Here's the recipe below.

Deep-fried Vegemite Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

600g chicken thigh fillet, cubed

Marinade:
1 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
Dash of pepper
1/2 egg, beaten
4 tbsp cornflour

Sauce:
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tbsp maltose
1/2 tbsp Vegemite
1/2 tbsp chinese cooking wine
1 tbsp black vinegar
1/2 tsp chicken stock powder
 1/3 cup water

Method

1. Combine chicken with marinade and leave in fridge for about an hour. Heat up oil in a wok and deep fry until golden brown and cooked. Drain on absorbent kitchen paper.
2. Heat up 1 tbsp oil in a clean wok and add sauce ingredients. Stir until sauce is reduced and thickened. Taste for seasoning. Toss in the chicken and mix through until evenly coated. Dish out and serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Note: If you don't have Vegemite, try using Marmite or other yeast extracts, but the sweetness/saltiness/intensity of flavour may vary slightly, so adjust seasonings according to taste.