Make your own spice burger, spice bag, Korean fried chicken, nuggets and the perfect chips – Recipes from the GastroGays

Though its origins point to the south-western suburbs of Dublin city, pretty much every Asian takeaway in the country has their own interpretation of the spice bag.

It’s so popular that it’s become the number-one takeaway dish in recent years.

Although it’s arguably just a combination of the most commonly ordered ‘Western’ elements packaged together and called something new, this is truly tastebud tantalising — the ultimate combination of hot, sweet and salty.

Ingredients

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or 3-4 chicken breasts), sliced into long, thin strips

175ml buttermilk (or regular milk + 2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice)

75g plain flour

Sunflower or vegetable oil, for deep-frying

4 large chipping potatoes, peeled (Kerr’s Pinks, Maris Pipers and Roosters all work well)

2 medium-sized white onions, sliced into 1cm-thick half-moons

3-4 fresh red chillies, sliced (deseeding is optional)

8 garlic cloves, finely chopped

For the spice-bag blend:

1 tbsp five-spice powder

2 tsp granulated sugar

2 tsp fine sea salt

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns, ground (optional if, like us, you love the mouth-numbing sensation)

½ tsp garlic powder

⅛ tsp ground cardamom

⅛ tsp ground cinnamon

⅛ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground white pepper

To serve:

Ready-made Chinese curry sauce

Method

1. Soak the chicken in the buttermilk in a bowl while you get on with everything else. This will tenderise and also coat the chicken for the next stage.

2. Mix together all the ingredients for the spice-bag blend.

3. Put the flour in a wide-lipped bowl or plate and stir in 1 or 2 tablespoons of the spice-bag blend. Set aside.

4. To make the chips, heat the oil in your deep fryer to 160C and follow the recipe for the perfect chips (below) up until the end of the first fry.

5. When you’re ready to fry the chicken, remove each piece from the buttermilk and lightly shake off any excess. Then dunk them into the seasoned flour and gently lower into the hot oil (still at 160C). You may need to do this in two or three batches. Depending on size, the chicken will take around 5 minutes per batch — it’s done when the pieces are golden brown and crisp. Drain using the basket, then remove to a wire rack set over a baking tray lined with kitchen paper.

6. Crank the oil up to 190C for the final flash-fry of the chips while you stir-fry the vegetables.

7. Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in a wok or large frying pan over a high heat. Add the onions, then the chillies and garlic, and quickly fry, keeping them moving regularly. This should take only 1 minute or less, as you’re just softening them rather than cooking out — a little crunch and bite are essential. Remove from the heat in advance of plating up.

8. Fry the chips for a further 60–90 seconds at the higher temperature to get your desired golden shade, then drain well and immediately add to a large metal mixing bowl with the chicken and the vegetables. Sprinkle over 1-2 tablespoons of the spice-bag blend, then shake it all together. This will help to cool things down and will also keep the chips crisp as you keep everything moving and add air.

9. Serve hot, with or without curry sauce to accompany. We definitely fall into the ‘with’ category, but we know some perfectly entitled purists prefer it ‘dry’ style.

Our Perfect Chips

While chips are beautiful on their own, you can use them as a base for many other dishes: chip kebabs, gyros, taco fries, poutine, chip butties, masala chips, moules-frites, disco fries…

Ingredients

1½ potatoes per person (floury varieties, such as Maris Piper or Russett)

Sunflower or vegetable oil, for deep-frying

2 tbsp plain flour

Malt vinegar

Fine sea salt

Method

1. Cut your potatoes into batons about 7cm long and 1.5cm wide, but there’s no need to get out the ruler here — chips should be a joy, not a chore. Skin on or off, that’s your preference, but ideally keep the skin only for those potato varieties with thinner skins.

2. Soak the batons in cold water for at least 5 minutes, but you can leave them to soak for an hour or two if making ahead.

3. When it’s time to cook, parboil the batons first by bringing a pot of salted water to the boil, then add the potatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes. It’s important that they maintain their shape and don’t become mushy. Drain them in a colander, then sprinkle over the flour while still in the colander, shaking gently to cover and coat.

4. Heat the oil in your deep fryer to 160C. When the oil has come up to temperature, fry the chips in batches (don’t overload the fryer!) for about 5 minutes per batch. This is a lower temperature for the first fry.

5. Remove, drain directly on kitchen paper, and leave to cool down slightly. After all the batches have had their first fry, crank up the temperature of the oil to 190C.

6. Fry all the chips (again, in batches if need be) for another 90 seconds to 2 minutes. During this higher-temperature fry, they will crisp up and turn golden, but this process is quick, so keep an eye on them. Drain using the basket, then remove to a metal mixing bowl, shaking them up in the air (as the Belgians do!) to firm up that crisp exterior and cool them down.

7. Finally, spray with vinegar and sprinkle over some fine sea salt. Do it in this order as the vinegar is wet, helping the salt to stick.

Spice Burgers

Makes 4

Born in the 1950s, the spice burger fast became a Dublin chipper classic that is now available in many parts of the east of Ireland and has become a frequent addition to lunchtime tables and dinner plates for the last few generations.

We have such vivid, fond memories of this deep-fried delicacy that’s heavily herbed and spiced, with its meat-meets-breadcrumb bouncy texture and hockey puck heft.

The food processor is your friend here — in fact, it’s essential to achieve the correct texture.

Ingredients

Sunflower or vegetable oil, for deep-frying

350g beef steak mince

1 small white onion, peeled and roughly chopped

60g fresh breadcrumbs1½ tbsp herbes de Provence or dried mixed herbs

2 tsp fine sea salt

1½ tsp cayenne pepper

1½ tsp ground white pepper

Drizzle of olive oil

30g plain flour

1 egg, beaten

50g dried breadcrumbs

To serve:

Flaky sea salt

Malt vinegar

Method

1. Heat the oil in your deep fryer to 170C.

2. Place the beef mince and onion in a food processor and continuously pulse until choppily combined. Add the fresh breadcrumbs, herbes de Provence or dried mixed herbs, salt, cayenne and white pepper, and continue to pulse until everything is evenly incorporated. With the motor running, drizzle in a little olive oil just until the mixture forms into a ball, then stop.

3. Remove from the food processor and form into a flat round, akin to making a traditional Irish soda bread, and eyeball it into four equal quadrants (roughly 120g each). Shape into neat hockey puck shapes about 4cm thick that fit cosily in the palm of your hand.

4. Prepare your pane station with three separate wide, shallow dishes: one for the flour (stir through a little seasoning), another for the beaten egg, and the third for the dried breadcrumbs. Cover each burger with flour on all sides, shaking off any excess, then submerge into the beaten egg before covering entirely in an even layer of dried breadcrumbs.

5. Working in batches, if necessary, fry the burgers in the hot oil for 5 minutes, flipping halfway through, especially if they peek over the oil line. Place on a wire rack set over a baking tray lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil. Adorn with a final seasoning of flaky sea salt and chip-shop (malt) vinegar.

Korean Fried Chicken

Serves a greedy 2

We make no apologies for the fact we’re led almost exclusively by our tastebuds when we travel. A recent two-week trip to South Korea was happily spent between Seoul and Busan chowing down on Korean fried chicken several times daily to find the best. What makes KFC different?

A couple of things: crucially, a blend of flours and starches, and it’s double fried, the combination of which results in a shatteringly crisp coating that is then smothered in a fiery, punchy, sticky, crimson-coloured sauce that still retains its crisp as you eat.

Talk about finger-lickin’ good! This is next level — napkins at the ready.

Ingredients

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

300ml buttermilk

2 tsp gochugaru or paprika

Sunflower or vegetable oil, for deep-frying

For the coating:

60g plain flour

60g rice flour

60g potato starch or cornflour

1 tsp baking powder

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

4 tbsp rice wine vinegar or Shaoxing rice wine

2 tbsp gochujang

2 tbsp sriracha

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp aekjeot or nam pla fish sauce

1 tbsp gochugaru

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp butter

To garnish:

Sesame seeds

Spring onions, sliced into thin lengths or on an angle

Thinly sliced or chopped fresh red or green chilli

Method

1. Cut each chicken thigh into two or three pieces to make bite-sized chunks and season with salt. Whisk the buttermilk and gochugaru or paprika together in a large bowl or baking dish. Submerge all the chicken in the buttermilk, cover with cling film, and marinate in the fridge for a good 4-6 hours (or leaving it overnight is fine, too).

2. When it’s time to cook, remove the buttermilk-brined chicken from the fridge about 30 minutes before frying. Heat the oil in your deep fryer to 150C.

3. Combine all the coating ingredients in one bowl. (If you’ve run out of baking powder, use 60g of self-raising flour instead of the plain flour.)

4. Working quickly and without shaking off too much of the buttermilk, dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mix, ensuring a generous and even coating. Working in batches, add each piece directly into the fryer and cook for about 5 minutes until cooked through and light golden. Remove from the fryer and set aside on a wire rack set over a baking tray lined with kitchen paper while you cook the rest of the chicken.

5. When all the pieces have had their first fry and have been drained, crank up the temperature of the oil to 190C.

6. Meanwhile, put all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan set over a medium heat and bring to the boil, then drop down to the lowest heat setting and give it a stir every so often just to keep it warm and pourable.

7. Fry all the chicken for a second time for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, until it looks incredibly crisp and has darkened. Depending on the size of your fryer basket, you may need to do this in two batches.

8. Place the chicken into a large heatproof bowl and pour over all the sauce, tossing to coat each piece. The chicken will soak up the sauce but still retain its crispness.

9. Plate up with a generous sprinkle of sesame seeds, sliced spring onions and fresh chilli on top. Alternatively, serve in a steamed bao or as a burger. Kimchi or some sharp pickles are the ideal supporting side act, or you can go all out on the whole banchan experience of a table laden with small side dishes.

Speedy Chicken Nuggs

Makes 8

For when you crave chicken nuggets and nothing else will do — the quickest we’ve completed this is 20 minutes.

The flavour is pure chicken, the coating is light, and the texture has that crucial bounce we all associate with nuggs. They are deliciously dunkable, so dip these bad boys into a homemade sauce.

Ingredients

Sunflower or vegetable oil, for deep-frying

1 free-range chicken breast fillet (roughly 140-150g), cut into cubes (turkey breast also works well)

1½ tbsp full-fat cream cheese

½ tsp fine sea salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

To coat:

1 large egg

1 tbsp hot sauce (optional)

60g plain flour, divided between two bowls (30g + 30g)

½ tsp sweet smoked paprika

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

Flaky sea salt

Your favourite dip

Method

1. Heat the oil in your deep fryer to 170C.

2. Put the chicken, cream cheese and salt and pepper in a food processor and blend to a paste.

3. Prepare your pane station with three separate wide, shallow bowls. Whisk the egg in one bowl. (If you want to bring some heat to the party, add 1 tablespoon of your favourite hot sauce to the whisked egg and to give the nuggets an extra piquant punch!)

4. Divide the flour evenly between two other wide, shallow bowls. Add the paprika and black pepper to one of the bowls and keep the other bowl of flour plain. Line up your three bowls: the plain flour, your egg mixture and your seasoned flour.

5. Keep a little dish of water nearby, as slicking your hands with water before shaping makes this a lot less messy. Form the mixture into approximately eight equal-sized oval rounds, about one-third the size of your palm and the thickness of your little finger. Dredge through the plain flour, then the egg mixture, and finally coat in the seasoned flour, leaving them all on a clean plate or tray in preparation for frying.

6. Fry in batches of four in the hot oil for 4-5 minutes, until golden and crisp. Raise the basket from the oil and shake off the excess oil.

7. Serve while still warm with a little flaky sea salt sprinkled on top and your favourite dip to accompany.

All recipes from Blasta Books #2: Hot Fat by Russell Alford and Patrick Hanlon, €15, blastabooks.com