Food truck’s Duo Cuisine fries sizzle with Thai curry sauce

Generally speaking, I require little more than a bottle of Heinz (don’t judge) to enjoy a hot, fresh order of french fries. However, a recent stop at a food trailer has me rethinking that.

Chefs Phil Carden and Chris Durkin rolled out Duo Cuisine in January. They’re both Culinary Institute of America - San Antonio alums and have significant experience cooking abroad in Asia and Latin America. That translates to a menu of elevated street eats like achiote brisket tacos, empanadas stuffed with Mexicanstyle corn or a creamy soba noodle salad.

But it’s the Curry Fries ($6 for a small order, $11 for a large) that caught my attention.

These start life as a fistful of hand-cut potatoes — Carden and Durkin have them soaking in a bowl of water by the front window to remove the excess starch — that are fried to a perfect golden brown.

Then the party starts.

First up is slices of grilled chicken and quartered mushrooms layered atop those fries. Then a generous dose of pungent Thai basil.

And here’s the magic: Duo scoops on at least a cup or so of an incredibly creamy Thaistyle coconut curry sauce loaded with a complex bouquet of aromas and spice. For good measure, a sprinkling of toasty peanuts goes on top.

There are two reasons I love this dish. No. 1, it lets beautiful fluffy potatoes hang out where rice and noodles usually play, creating an unorthodox mashup that makes boring brown gravy fries look like amateur hour. And second, it gave me an excuse to eat french fries with a spoon, because I wasn’t about to waste a drop of that glorious coconut elixir.

Duo Cuisine has been posted outside Still Golden Social House at 1900 Broadway several times in the past couple weeks, and it makes regular appearances at Alamo Beer Co. Visit Facebook: @DUOcuisinetrailer for current hours and location.

Paul Stephen / San Antonio Express-News Curry Fries from the Duo Cuisine food trailer feature hand-cut fries topped with chicken, Thai basil and a zesty coconut curry sauce.