Where’s the vegan party?

We made and tasted India’s first DIY vegan fondue with a chef and agreed that it comes close to its original counterpart

We’ve been testing a lot of vegan foods lately, however, no one on the Sunday mid-day team is vegan. That’s why, when we were sent a DIY vegan cheese fondue kit by Soft Spot Foods, we thought why not have a vegan chef try it. In the past, we have tried their truffle cheese spread and loved every bit of it. It didn’t feel forced and unless someone mentions it was vegan, you wouldn’t know.

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We headed to Chef Raveena Taurani’s restaurant Yogisatva in Khar. Seasoned with white pepper, nutmeg, paprika, and Dijon mustard, the kit was supposed to create a luscious, flavourful fondue. We start by reading the instructions and following the guide video down to the T. Taurani felt that a fondue maker should have been included to wrap up the DIY kit; not everyone would have one readily available at home.

The kit

The kit contains cashew nuts, a dry mix, a wet mix of coconut oil, a non-alcoholic kirsch, and white wine blend along with Dijon mustard and Swiss fondue seasoning to melt into 500 grams of fondue. We started by boiling the cashews and making a paste, followed by mixing the paste with the dry mix and wet mix. We let it bubble to a boil, and then added the wine, mustard and seasoning as per instructions. 

At one point, when it began to get lumpy, we were advised to put in some water to smoothen it and cook until we achieved fondue-like texture. We kept checking for seasoning and adding a tiny bit of salt to balance the flavours, before pouring a small fondue set for our party of two. “I would have loved to see the fondue consistency more clearly in the video, so that we know what it should look like,” said Taurani as we munched on her seed crackers that paired beautifully with the cheese; as did apple and pear bits.

Chef Raveena Taurani

In less than 20 minutes, our fondue was ready. The quantity looked enough for five people. Silky. Check. Flavourful. Check. Like its Swiss counterpart. Check. “It definitely tastes like fondue and is easy to make,” declared Taurani, who also pointed out that since the dry mix contains guar gum, an extract from guar beans that has thickening and stabilising properties useful in food, it is advisable to drink plenty of water after the meal to avoid an upset stomach if you’ve gorged on the fondue.

Soft Spot Foods’ DIY vegan cheese fondue kit; Rs 999; www.softspotfoods.com

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