Master Vegemite and Chicken Dumplings for the Best of Both Worlds

Allow me to set the scene for you: it’s Friday night. You have a special friend coming over (or maybe not, and you just want to treat yourself!) and you really want to adult the hell out of this night. You’re cooking; you’ve got some wine ready to go. Maybe you’re even playing jazz in the background. Check out how grown you are!

The one question you have buzzing around your mind, however, is “what the hell do I make?” Lucky for you (and us) we have the help of Aussie chef and former MasterChef contestant Khanh Ong available for that.

That help has come in the form of Ong’s Vegemite and Chicken Dumplings recipe. Sound kinda quirky? Sure. But as the chef wrote in his cookbook A Gay Guy’s Guide to Life, Love, Food, “This dish won me an immunity pin [on MasterChef] and it really gave me the boost in confidence I needed at the time…” So, it’s a winner.

Want to give a try for yourself? Check out the recipe below.

Vegemite and Chicken Dumplings

What you’ll need (serves 2)

• 230g skinless chicken thigh fillets, roughly chopped
• Sea salt
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons double cream
• 1 teaspoon Vegemite
• 10 dumpling wrappers

BROTH

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 500g chicken wings, chopped into 2.5 cm pieces using a cleaver
• 2 red shallots, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 6cm piece of ginger, grated
• 1 long red chilli, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon Vegemite
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• Sea salt

(You will also need 400ml water)

Directions:

1. To make the broth, heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken wings and cook, turning occasionally, for 8-10 minutes until well browned all over. Ass the shallot, carrot, celery, ginger, chilli and garlic and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes until softened.
2. Pour in the chicken stock to deglaze the pan, scraping the base of the pan to release any yummy sticky bits. Add 400 ml of water and allow to simmer to 20 minutes. Drain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, discarding the solids.
3. Place the strained broth over medium heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until reduced by half. Add the Vegemite and fish sauce and whisk until combined. Season with salt to taste. Set aside until you are ready to serve.
4. Meanwhile, to make the dumplings, place the chicken and a pinch of salt in a food processor and pulse until the chicken is finely chopped but not a paste. Add the egg yolks and pulse until combined. Add the cream and Vegemite and pulse until combined. Transfer to a piping bag. Pipe an equal-sized amount into the centre of each of the dumpling wrappers. Fold the wrappers over and seal the edges, using a little water if you need to (make sure you gently press out any air bubbles). Bring the two corners together and press to form a dumpling shape.
5. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the dumplings and cook until they float to the surface (this should take about 3 minutes). Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon and place in two serving bowls. Pour the broth over the dumplings and serve.

There you have it! A successful (and impressive) home-cooked meal.

This article has been updated since its publish date.