Rosheen Kaul’s Sichuan Fondue

Taken from Rosheen Kaul’s Isol(Asian) Cookbook. Read her interview here. 

It is a well-established fact that a high percentage of Asians (particularly of East Asian descent) suffer from lactose-sensitivity. Which is why it is quite contrarian of me to put a fondue recipe in an Asian cookbook. 

A fondue is no more than cheese heated with wine, but  the sign of a well-made fondue is a silky, homogenous mixture. Thanks to my old boss Heston Blumenthal, it turns out that adding some cornflour to the mix helps too. The cornflour stops the proteins in the cheese from coagulating, guaranteeing a successful fondue every time.

In this case, we’re using beer as our alcohol of choice, instead of the traditional high-acid white wine, as the savouriness really lends itself to this application. As with all popular Sichuan dishes, this fondue will luxuriate in a bloodbath of vibrant red chilli oil. Pile high with fresh herbs, plenty of cracked black pepper and use to dip anything your heart desires. If you don’t have a fancy fondue setup, don’t fret. Use a cast-iron skillet or something that retains heat, and pop it back on the stove every time you need to warm it up again. I’ve written some suggestions for things to dip. Fondue is traditionally served with cubes of stale bread, pickled onions and cornichons, but anything that would only be improved by being dunked in a layer of fiery cheese will do. Just make sure everything is bite-sized.

Ingredients –

300mL lager
300g gruyere – grated
300g comte – grated
2 tbsp cornflour
2 garlic cloves – crushed
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp white pepper
½ tsp salt

To serve
100ml Sichuan chilli oil
Fresh herbs – dill, parsley and chives, roughly chopped
Cracked black pepper
Pickled chillies
Bread – cut into cubes
Hot-smoked sausages
Charcuterie
Boiled potatoes

Method –

Heat the garlic and beer in a pan over low heat and bring to a simmer. In a bowl, toss the cornflour with the cheese, and add a handful at a time to the simmering beer. Stir vigorously with every addition, ensuring that the previous batch is completely melted and smooth  before adding the next. 

Once all of the cheese is added, stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Ensure the mix does not come to the boil, or it will split. Transfer to a fondue pot or cast  iron dish, dress liberally with chilli oil, fresh herbs and freshly cracked black pepper. 

Serve with anything your heart desires, but just cubes of bread and  pickles will do just fine. If the fondue starts to set, simply pop back onto the stove and reheat over low heat.