Marmite chicken (媽蜜雞)

You either love or hate marmite chicken because it is sweet and salty at the same time. It was invented by an ingenious Malaysian chef, identity unknown. Nowadays, people use the prepared marmite sauce with pork ribs or prawns. I personally like it a bit on the sweet side.

Marmite is a spread (砂锅) made from yeast extract which is a by-product of beer brewing. It was invented by a German scientist, named after a French cooking pot and is manufactured in England. It is normally eaten as a light spread on bread but it can also be made into a savoury hot drink by adding one teaspoon to a mug of hot water. Marmite is rich in B vitamins which can help to lower stress and anxiety levels. However, the sodium content of the spread is high therefore should not give too much to small children. There is a modified version produced in New Zealand and distributed in Australia and the Pacific. 

Ingredients

3 chicken whole legs or breast (if you don’t like bones) cut in big cube sizes

1 tbsp white sesame seeds

Ingredients for the marinade

In a bowl put in the following:

2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 egg
2 tbsp cornflour

½ tsp pepper

Mix thoroughly

Marinade the chicken for minimum 1 hour

Ingredients for the sauce

2 tbsp marmite
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp maltose

2 tbsp white sugar

100 ml hot water to help dissolve the ingredients

Put all the ingredients into a bowl

Mix thoroughly and set aside

Cooking method 

In a dry wok toast 1 tbsp sesame seeds until slightly brown

Remove and keep aside

Heat up enough oil to deep fry the chicken

Fry chicken in batches until golden and crispy

Drain well and set aside.

Heat up the cleaned wok

Put in the sauce ingredients and bring it to a simmer

Over low heat stir until it turns syrupy and glossy

Return the chicken to the wok and make sure each piece of chicken is well coated with the sauce

Keep on stirring until the sauce has reduced completely

Once reduced the dark glossy sauce is a perfect glaze for the golden crispy fried chicken

Dish out and sprinkle with the fried sesame seeds