The Irish spice bag

Thoughts and instructions

WTF was my first thought when I heard about the spice bag. Why are we serving Westernised Chinese food with fries, smothered in a curry sauce!? It’s like someone took camogie and table tennis, and mashed them together for the sake of a new sport. What the hell is this new sport? Do we need a new sport? Sounds dumb, but could it be fun?

Anyway, Carlos and I started to think critically, remembering what cuisine does in foreign places. It does its best. It’s best to fit in, to survive, and to really adapt to the tastebuds and resources of the people and place. It innovates. For better or worse.

When hearing about it, I imagined this is how it would come to be (here is an AI visualisation of my thoughts lol):

Conceptually, the spice bag sounds like it would work well - fried shit, tossed through seasoning, served with a curry sauce. Still, being Asian and me, you approach this with professional scepticism.

After many months, Carlos and I finally tried our first Irish spice bag, with chicken, salt and chilli chips, plus a curry sauce on the side. The chips were stale, the chicken was dry, the seasoning was one-dimensional, and the curry sauce had the consistency of starchy glue. Although this was our first and only experience, we knew this wasn’t the real deal.

So we sped to the kitchen. Justice for Ireland.

In summary the dish is really made up of:

• The fried stuff —> marinated and battered chicken and thick-cut potato chips.

• The seasoning —> we reckon you’ve gotta go beyond the default salt and chilli so we made our own.

• The sauce —> we opted for Japanese curry for ease, comfort and reliable flavour.

Honestly, we still don’t get the sauce part. You see, imagine the perfect plate of piping hot, crisp salt and pepper squid. As it arrives, you get a waft of the aromatic garlic, chilli, and spring onions. And once you take a bite, you’re met with the warmth, earthy spice of the pepper, all brought to life with just the right amount of salt and MSG. Heaven. Even though we’re working with chicken here, why would you want to drown these delicate flavours and aromas in curry sauce? It’s gotta be nostalgia, right? Can someone enlighten us?

Our recipe

The spice mix

This is what brings everything together. Good balance of warm whole spices and some punch from seasoning powders to cling to the chicken and chips. Tamanoi Sushinoko was a good shout as it gave the chicken and chips some bright and tangy notes. Typically used to season rice, it’s not compulsory, but great on your favourite fried stuff. Find this at asian grocers.

Ingredients

Whole spices

• ¼ tsp fennel seeds

• ¼ tsp cumin seeds

• ¼ tsp Sichuan peppercorns

• ¼ tsp white peppercorns

Ground spices & seasoning

• ¼ tsp curry powder

• ¼ tsp chicken stock powder

• ¼ tsp Tamanoi Sushinoko (or substitute with citric acid)

• ¼ tsp sweet paprika

• ¼ tsp garlic powder

• ¼ tsp onion powder

• ¼ tsp salt or more to taste

Method

1. Toast whole spices: heat a dry pan over medium heat. Toast fennel, cumin, Sichuan peppercorns, and white peppercorns for 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Cool slightly.

2. Grind the spices: blitz toasted spices in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to a fine powder.

3. Mix spices: combine the freshly ground spice mix with all the remaining ground spices and salt. Stir well to blend.

The chicken and chips

Highly recommend you reference the instructions from the Sweet & Sour chicken post here. We’ve adjusted the quantities.

A good spice bag starts with ultra-crispy, double-fried chicken, as well as thick, crunchy fries as an anchor to build from.

Ingredients

Chicken and marinade

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed, cut into thumb-sized pieces

• 2 tsp Shaoxing wine

• ¼ tsp sugar

• ¼ tsp ground white pepper

• Pinch of salt

Batter

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• ⅓ cup cornstarch

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp bicarb soda

• 1 egg

• 1 tbsp white vinegar

• 150-250 ml water, as needed (for a loose-ish consistency)

For frying

• Neutral oil, for deep-frying

• Frozen chips (to cook after the chicken)

Method

1. Marinate the chicken: in a bowl, combine chicken pieces with Shaoxing wine, sugar, white pepper, and salt. Toss to coat and set aside for 30 minutes.

2. Make the batter: in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and bicarb. Add egg and vinegar, then slowly whisk in water until you get a loose, pancake-batter consistency.

3. Heat oil: fill a pot or wok with neutral oil (at least 5 cm deep). Heat to 180°C (370°F).

4. First fry: dip marinated chicken into the batter to coat evenly. Fry in batches for 3-4 minutes, or until lightly golden and just cooked. Drain on a wire rack or paper towel.

5. Second fry: increase oil temp to 200°C (392°F). Fry chicken again for 1-2 minutes until deep golden, crunchy and puffed. Drain again.

6. Fry the chips: while the oil's hot, cook your frozen chips until golden and crispy.

The curry sauce

Made like a classic roux, this gets a creamy finish from coconut milk. Pour it over the top of the spice bag and/or serve on the side for dipping.

Ingredients

• 30g unsalted butter

• 30g all-purpose flour

• 3 tbsp curry powder

• 250 ml water

• 1 tsp mirin

• ¼ to ½ cup (60-125 ml) coconut milk, to taste

• Sugar, to taste

• Salt, to taste

Method

1. Make the roux: melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and curry powder. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until toasty and fragrant.

2. Add water: gradually whisk in water to avoid lumps. Keep whisking until the sauce is smooth and thickened.

3. Finish with coconut milk: stir in mirin and coconut milk (start with ¼ cup, then adjust to taste), sugar, and salt. Simmer gently for 2–3 minutes until the sauce is silky and coats a spoon.

4. Adjust to taste: tweak salt, sugar, or coconut milk for balance.

Bringing it all together

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp neutral oil

• 1 onion, sliced

• ½ red capsicum, sliced

• ½ green capsicum, sliced

• 3 garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 red chilli, chopped

• Prepared spice mix (see above)

• Fried chicken pieces (see above)

• Fried chips (see above)

• Green onions, sliced (for garnish)

Method

1. Heat wok or large frypan over high heat until just smoking.

2. Add oil, then quickly toss in sliced onions. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until soft and fragrant.

3. Toss in both capsicums. Stir-fry for another minute, then add garlic and chilli. Fry until everything’s just softened.

4. Add the fried chicken and chips. Sprinkle over the prepared spice mix.

5. Toss everything together until coated evenly and heated through.

6. Scatter with sliced green onions and serve hot, with curry sauce on the side or poured over.