Air fried Japanese sweet potato fries loaded with all the banh mi inspired toppings!
I have two favorite foods: tacos and fries. Why do I love these two foods so much? Because they’re both so versatile, literally the options are endless. You can obviously make tacos a ton of different ways.. using different proteins, toppings, breakfast or lunch/dinner. It doesn’t matter.. it’s always good and full of flavor.
When it comes to fries I feel the same way. You can eat them plain.. just salted with ketchup, my personal favorite. Or you can eat them with a variety of dipping sauces. You can have regular or sweet potato. Waffle cut, curly, hand-cut, crinkle cut, steak cut, shoestring. The list goes on. But, most importantly… you can load them up with amazing toppings. Including these banh mi inspired toppings.
When I make loaded fries I usually do some sort of taco/Mexican inspired situation (check out my loaded Mexican ones here), using guac, cheese or queso, jalapeños, pico. I wanted to try something different. These are certainly a unique way to eat fries, but let me tell you.. it was a flavor bomb. My husband and I devoured these for lunch and are already dreaming of the next time I make them.
I topped them with some pickled veggies (carrots, daikon, and jalapeños), roughly chopped cashews, cilantro, lime, and a spicy mayo drizzle. YUM!
I always make my fries in my air fryer because they come out so freakin’ crispy and it’s so quick! But of course, you can also bake your fries. I’ve started soaking my fries in cold water for about an hour before I cook them and it’s made such a huge difference in the level of crispiness. I highly suggest it!
PrintBanh Mi Japanese Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
Japanese Sweet Potato Fries
2 Japanese sweet potatoes (or 3 small), peeled and cut into fries
1–2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Pickled Veggies
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
Daikon radish, about 1/3 cup peeled and julienned
1/2 Jalapeno, seeds removed and sliced
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup water
2–3 tbsp honey
salt to taste
Spicy Mayo
4 tbsp mayo, I used avocado oil mayo
1 tbsp sriracha, or more/less to taste
juice of 1/4 lime
salt and pepper to taste
Other Toppings
roughly chopped cashews or peanuts
lime wedges
chopped cilantro
Instructions
To pickle the veggies add the veggies to an air-tight container.
In a bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, water, honey, and salt. Add to the jar with the veggies and cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but best to pickle them over-night.
Add your cut Japanese sweet potato fries to a bowl of cold water for 30 min – 1 hour before cooking, this makes them extra crispy! Trust me, you want this.
While your fries are soaking in water prep your spicy mayo by combining all the ingredients. Cover and chill until ready to use. I like adding mine to a squirt bottle to drizzle it on but it’s not necessary.
When fries are done soaking drain them and add them to a bowl with 1-2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix and add to your air fryer basket. Air fry at 380 degrees for 16-18 minutes (or until crispy and golden) tossing them half way through cook time.
Top your cooked fries with the pickled veggies, cashews, cilantro, lime, and drizzle with desired amount of spicy mayo.
Serve immediately and enjoy! 🙂
