The Spicebag/ “Mala Spiosrach”

Here we go folks, day five of my countdown to St. Patrick’s Day. And today I am really excited to host a guest blogger who can give you all the info on what is happening food wise in Dublin on/just after the big day! Without further ado I’m going to turn it over to Rascalcook!

An important part of any culture is what it eats after it gets completely ossified (Wasted) on a night out. What do people search for when their brains cease to function, but before they are haunted by the fear (pained by a headache and crippling anxiety about anything they said to people last night). The 2am feed after the feed of pints is vital to the making, or breaking, of a sesh (social event involving drinking). 

There are lots of contenders for the best food on the sesh. The kebab is always a strong fighter, and eating an entire pizza that has enough oil on the surface to fund Norwegian pensions, is only ever possible when you’re toasted. Above all of these though, there is the Spicebag. The combination of Protein, Carbs and Spicy Umami flavours cannot be topped. Since its inception in the bleak days of Post Celtic Tiger Ireland (After the 2008 financial crash), The Spicebag has taken over. 

There is mythology around the Spicebag. Fancy chefs say it’s akin to Szechuan stir fried potatoes, whereas the national broadcaster says it’s from a takeaway in Southwest Dublin. And at least a half dozen different places claim to be the first people to actually call it a Spicebag. I first had it in college when my usual Salt and Chilli Chips had an option to add chicken, though I didn’t see it called The Spicebag till I moved to Dublin.

A Spicebag you might get at a Dublin Takeaway

The Spicebag is a sample of a new Ireland, where people actually like flavour, and where the classic image of Irish food being boiled for hours and served grey is blasted away by enough chilli to make you sweat a little, but not so much you can’t inhale the whole thing. The quality of a Spicebag has started the careers of dozens of Dublin food micro influencers and shaped countless conversations in the pub about where to go for food. 

At its core, it’s Chips, Chicken, some peppers and onions, and a spice blend. You toss everything together in a pan, and serve with the sauce of your choice, though generally curry sauce is the key condiment. That being said, I’ve seen it with baby potatoes, I’ve seen it with scampi and tofu, I’ve had it served with hot honey and garlic dip, it’s a wonderfully versatile dish that’s also easy to make at home.

• Servings: 1 -2 Depending on the night you've had
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe from: Rascalcook

*All of this is designed to scale, so I’m giving you weights. But i’m really doing things like having a 4-2-1 ratio in The Spicebag ingredients. When I say 2 grams/5 grams, I mean a teaspoon or a 1/2 teaspoon. At the end of the day, once you have added the spice mix to the combination of carbs and protein, you will have the spirit of The Spicebag

Ingredients:

For the Spicebag:

• 600 grams or roughly 4 – 5 medium sized spuds
• 300 grams sliced chicken
• 1 egg
• 50 ml water
• 30 grams all purpose flour
• 30 grams potato flour
• 100 grams bell pepper, roughly 1 pepper
• 50 grams, or one medium sized red onion
• 3 -4 cloves of garlic

For the Spice Mix:

• 10 grams salt
• 5 grams sugar
• 5 grams MSG

Powders: (This is basically a 5 Spice Blend with white pepper)

• 2 grams cinnamon
• 2 grams Star Anise
• 2 grams Szechuan Pepper
• 2 grams white pepper
• 2 gram
• 2 grams clove
• 2 grams Fennel

• Whole Herbs for Crushing:
• 5 grams Szechuan Pepper
• 2 grams Coriander Seed
• 5 grams Whole or Crushed Chili (Birds Eye if you can)
• 5 grams Korean Chilli Flake (Can be replaced with other flakes of your choice)
• 2 grams Black Pepper

Directions:

First you need to prep the spice mix. Our spice mix is in two parts, the powder which is basically just a 5 spice powder and then the whole herbs. You want to use a spice grinder, blender or mortar and pestle to break up the whole herbs. Don’t completely powder them, you just want to be able to see that there’s flakes of chili in the mix. Add the whole herbs to the powdered spices and then add in the sugar, salt and MSG.

Now you should prep your potatoes. I used 600 grams of Roosters, or four to five medium sized spuds. I’m making a pretty basic set of fries, so I slice them into chunky fries, rest them in some salted water for an hour at least. The next step is to parboil them for about 5 minutes to get them mostly cooked. After parboiling, it is good to let them cool. You have the option of doing this the day beforehand. Another option if you have a deep fryer, is to just cook them at a low temperature and then chill them. (If you don’t want to make fries, you could just cube up the potatoes and toss them in 2 Tablespoon of neutral oil and a teaspoon of the spice mix before cooking them in the oven until golden and crispy. Baby potatoes also work really well for this at home.

Prep your chicken. For this recipe, I’m using about 300 grams of chicken, which I will mix with two teaspoons of the spice mix. Slice the chicken into half inch or so wide strips. Mix one egg with 50 ml of water and mix it around your chicken strips. Then add roughly 60 grams of a 50/50 mix of potato and all purpose flour to the bowl. This is a very light batter. I prefer my chicken with crunchy bits, but not fully coated. If you want crunchier, more heavily coated chicken, just thicken the batter to your taste. Set bowl aside to rest awhile.

For the Veg; Thinly slice one medium red onion and three or four cloves of garlic. Slice one bell pepper into thin strips, roughly the same size as you have sliced the chicken pieces and potatoes.

Finish your chicken and potatoes right before you want to serve your Spicebag. If you are deep-frying your potatoes, cook them until they are crispy and golden brown, then very lightly salt them once they are done (You should always salt your fries straight away, even though we will be hitting them with more salty stuff later).

For the Chicken: You can deep-fry, air fry, pan fry or even oven bake at medium high until crispy and deep golden. The pieces should be small enough that once they’re cooked properly on the outside, they will be cooked through as well.

Now it is time to build our Spicebag. If you have a wok, now is the time to use it. Otherwise, grab your biggest pan so that you have space to move the ingredients around in it. Heat 2 Tablespoon of neutral oil at medium high temperature. Add the onions and garlic to flash fry for about 15 seconds and then throw in the peppers. At this point, add about one teaspoon of the spice mix, stir to combine. Add the chicken and potatoes, as well as two more teaspoons of the spice mix. Toss together for long enough that the spices start to get fragrant. Add more spice mix to taste. Serve onto a plate.

Notes:

For serving: You can eat this with or without a side sauce. If you want it with a sauce, I recommend making a packet of curry sauce to get that classic takeaway vibe. The Japanese blocks of curry mix are pretty much as close as you can get flavor wise. But you can also use any sauce you like. I’ve had it with hot honey, gochujang mayo and a classic lemon and garlic mayo.

You can also add fresh sliced chilies and green onion at ten end to brighten the dish, though keep in mind that more chili = more heat.

If it is too hot, you can reduce the amount of chili in the spice mix, but in order to keep the peppery flavor, you should add more black pepper.

Enjoy!

Hi. I’m Xander. I’ve been working in and around the Irish food and drink industry since I was a child working in the Milk Market in Limerick with my mom. I mostly cook for pleasure these days, but when Lea asked about a favourite part of Irish food to share in advance of Paddy’s day, I knew I had to help spread the word of The Spicebag. If you like this you can find me on instagram as @Rascalcook where I post photos of food and projects I’m working on.

Travel Planning Guide:

Getting there: Icelandair! We love Icelandair and have always had great experience with them. Icelandair flies to Dublin, Ireland. Take advantage of their Stopover program on your next flight to Europe.

Car Rental: New Way Car Hire – Love the all-inclusive pricing on these cars as well as the Dublin Airport pickup!

Accommodation: Number 31 – This luxurious hotel is half traditional Georgian townhouse and half modernist mews which are connected by a charming courtyard. The Georgian townhouse half is where we have always chosen to stay and we love the mildly eccentric jazz age flamboyance. The location of this decadent hideaway is also superb. It is steps from St. Stephen’s Green in the heart of the city. We would not dream of stying any where else and cannot wait to visit again!

Restaurants/ Cafés/ Bakeries/ Pubs:

Xi’an Street Food – Modern Asian Cuisine with authentic & bold flavours from Xi’an region in China. Looking for late night takeaway while visiting Dublin, or a delicious meal anytime for that matter, this is the place. And watch them prepare their version of the Spicebag in this video.

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Bar 1661 – Voted Ireland’s Bar of the Year in 2022! My favorite cocktail bar full stop! Not just in Ireland, but everywhere! Folks, if you are visiting Dublin and you like cocktails at all, this is an absolute must!!! The ambiance is in point, not to mention the historical significance as well as the absolute enthusiasm everyone there has for crafting exceptional cocktails! I will say, make sure you book a reservation. You do not want to miss this!

The Porterhouse -This large airy brewpub offers a wide selection of ales, lagers and stouts. It has a fun, folksy atmosphere and often you can catch some live music. They serve some tasty pub grub as well and some of the best chips I’ve had in Dublin.

The Old Storehouse – The Old Storehouse is a great venue, kind of like three different pubs all rolled into one. They’ve got the cozy, intimate snug area, the lively main bar and then Flaherty’s Pub downstairs for bands. They also have a lovely covered outside area.

Attractions:

TradFest – TradFest is a joyful celebration of Irish identity through music. Each January, it showcases the best of established and emerging musical talent at a landmark festival which is rooted in the historic and atmospheric setting of Temple Bar, Dublin’s cultural quarter. Over 50 live music concerts take place in some of the best pubs in Temple Bar, as well as key historical landmarks in Dublin.

Dublin Castle – 13 Century castle. Today Irish Govenment and Conference Center.

Grafton Street – One of the principal shopping streets in the city center. Mostly pedestrianised and lined with many cafes, shops and street performers.

Temple Bar- Busy riverside neighborhood with many pubs, restaurants and quirky boutiques.

Guinness Storehouse – Learn about the history of Ireland’s most iconic beer over seven floors. Enjoy 360 degree views of the city from the Gravity Bar!