Confession time: I had my first spice bag while I was writing this book. I had spent a day writing and just wasn’t in the mood for cooking, so when Daithí suggested a takeaway, I jumped at the idea. When he asked me what I wanted, the words ‘spice bag’ just flew out. I’d never had one – or even had the desire to have one – but I suddenly found myself ordering one. Maybe it’s because I had been thinking so much that day about what traditional Irish cooking is and was trying to think of our modern dishes that are distinctly Irish, in much the same way as I see a jambon being a traditional Irish bake. Anyway, from the moment I opened the bag and the spicy steam escaped to eating the last chip coated in its spices, I was hooked. Why had I waited so long?
For those of you who don’t know what a spice bag is, I think it’s the newest traditional Irish dish in the same way that lasagne, coleslaw and chips can be thought of as uniquely and traditionally Irish. First sold by the Sunflower Chinese takeaway in Templeogue, Dublin in 2010, a spice bag contains chips, crispy chicken, peppers, onions, chilli and a mix of spices, all tossed together and served in a bag. When you first (or in my case, finally) taste one, you will understand why it has such a cult following.
Serves 2
3 large potatoes, peeled (about 750g peeled weight) – Roosters work well for this
vegetable oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
50g plain flour
1 egg, beaten
80g fresh white breadcrumbs
2 chicken fillets, each one cut into 6 strips
1 fresh red chilli, thinly sliced
3 scallions, thinly sliced at an angle
For the spice bag seasoning:
2 tbsp flaky sea salt
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 tsp ground white pepper
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick baking paper.
Mix all the spice bag seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl.
Cut the potatoes into chips and pat them dry with a clean tea towel. Put the chips in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of oil and a generous teaspoon of the seasoning and toss to coat. Spread the chips out in a single layer on the lined baking sheet and cook in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, turning once during the cooking time.
Put the onion and pepper in the same bowl that you used for the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of oil and another teaspoon of the seasoning. Toss to coat and set aside.
While the chips are cooking, prepare the chicken. Put the flour and 1 teaspoon of the seasoning in a wide, shallow bowl and mix to combine. Put the beaten egg and breadcrumbs in two separate wide, shallow dishes.
Working with one strip of chicken at a time, dip it first in the seasoned flour, followed by the egg and finally the breadcrumbs, making sure the chicken is completely covered each time. Put the breaded chicken on a plate while you work on the rest. And here’s a little tip: keep one hand wet and the other hand dry, so in other words, use one hand to pick up the chicken and take it out of the egg, then use the other hand to remove it from the flour and breadcrumbs.
After 35 minutes, take the chips out of the oven. Gently turn the chips over and scatter the onion and pepper over them. Return to the oven to cook for a further 15 minutes.
Heat some vegetable oil in high-sided frying pan over a medium heat. Working in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the pan, shallow-fry the chicken strips until they are golden brown all over and cooked through, keeping the cooked ones warm in the oven as you go.
Remove the chips and vegetables from the oven and transfer them to a large, clean bowl. Add the fried chicken strips, chilli, scallions and 1 teaspoon of the seasoning and toss to combine and coat everything in the spice.
If you can get your hands on chip shop bags, put everything in that for an authentic serve. If not, warm bowls will do. Serve with dips of your choice: I like Kewpie mayo and sweet chilli sauce with mine.