Way better than Ore-Ida: Sichuan fries

by Joe DiStefano, Posted Oct 8th 2006 @ 9:15PM

I'm a real pushover for Asian interpretations of classic American fast food, whether it's kimchi pizza or Japanese hot dogs. My latest find is the crinkle-cut fries at Xiao La Jiao, a Sichuan spot in Flushing, Queens, a hotbed of top-notch Chinese food in New York City.

I don't read Chinese, but there was a real disconnect between the menu and what came out of the kitchen when I ordered a dish listed as potatoes in spicy sauce. The last thing I expected was a plate heaped with crinkle-cut fries.

Upon closer examination I noticed these were no mere Ore-Ida imitators. Spicy sauce was nowhere to be found. But I didn't mind because the fries were liberally dusted with cumin and hot pepper and had been fried along with minced green onions. Unlike many Sichuan dishes the toasty flavor of the cumin combined with the hot pepper didn't quite make for super spicy fries. That said, they still packed a pleasantly lingering heat.
Xiao La Jiao ("Little Pepper") 133-43 Roosevelt Avenue, Flushing, Queens, 718-939-7788.

Filed Under: Food Oddities, Ingredients, Methods
Tags: cumin, dinner, east coast, French fries, FrenchFries, frying, hot pepper, HotPepper, oddities, Ore-Ida, pepper, potatoes, Sichuan, Sichuan food, SichuanFood, spices, vegetables