The Crunchy Japanese Topping Your Fries Have Been Missing

While it's difficult to pinpoint exactly who invented french fries, millions are simply overjoyed that they exist. A welcome side dish, whether you're ordering fast food or dining in a high-end steakhouse, French fries are also a staple of the viral "girl dinner" (along with a salad, of course). It's not just the hot, crispy yet tender, salty nature of the fry that's appealing; it's also the long list of ways you can serve and season them. From classic ketchup to malt vinegar to Parmesan cheese and truffle oil, french fries might just be the world's perfect food. And because they're fun to play with, try giving your fries the Japanese treatment the next time you prepare them by seasoning them with furikake.

Furikake is a Japanese dried seasoning made from dried protein (usually fish, but some use chicken, pork, egg, or beef), sesame seeds, seaweed flakes, sugar, and soy sauce. Interestingly, it was invented by a pharmacist to help people increase calcium intake. It's popularly used to season rice and garnish onigiri, but is also an excellent condiment for popcorn, scrambled eggs, avocado toast, ramen, vegetables, fish, and chicken. Furikake is an absolute explosion of umami flavor, with the slightest hint of sweetness from the sugar, all of which gives french fries an unexpected yet genius attitude. After trying it, you'll wonder why you hadn't thought of the pairing sooner.

Making french fries at home from scratch is an undertaking. For the best results, fries are rinsed and soaked to get rid of extra starch, then dried and deep fried twice: once to cook the potato and again to crisp up the outside. Plus, you'll make a big mistake if you salt them too early. If you're an adventurous and patient home cook, go ahead and take the plunge into making your own fries. But, if you want to get to eating your fries quicker, there's absolutely nothing wrong with using frozen french fries, which you can deep fry, oven-bake, or prepare in the air fryer.

Regardless of your cooking method, you'll want to sprinkle or toss the finished fries with your furikake seasoning while they are still hot so the seasoning sticks better. And if you're a fan of sweet potato fries, furikake would be amazing on these as well, giving a delicious contrast of the sweet potato to the umami goodness of the seasoning. As far as dipping sauces go, (because that's half the fun of fries, right?) stick to the Asian influence you've begun; mayonnaise mixed with spicy sriracha and, perhaps, a touch of sesame oil would be a wonderful choice. Wasabi mayo is another option, as is the creamy condiment mixed with some teriyaki sauce if you want to play up the sweet factor.