Here’s a typical Swiss meal—with an Asian twist! If you don’t want to dip bread cubes, simply toast slices of bread and spread the fondue on there. No one’s judging your way of eating this fondue as long as you enjoy it.
Japanese Aomori black garlic is a delicacy that is fermented in pure sea water, making it sweet and mild. If you cannot find it locally, use roasted regular garlic instead to get the inimitable garlic flavor without the sharpness.
YIELD: 4 to 6 servings
1 cup (120 g) raw cashew pieces, soaked in 2 cups (470 ml) of filtered water for 6 hours, drained and rinsed
1 cup (235 ml) no- or low-sodium vegetable broth
¼ cup (60 ml) vegan Japanese lager beer (such as Sapporo or Asahi)
¼ cup (60 ml) unsweetened canned coconut cream
¼ cup (48 g) drained Homemade Kimchi or store-bought
3 tbsp (15 g) nutritional yeast
1 tsp (2 g) dried shiitake powder (or 1 rehydrated shiitake mushroom cap, minced)
1½–2 tbsp (27–36 g) white miso, to taste
½ tsp Japanese Aomori black garlic (see headnote) or 2 cloves roasted garlic
1 tbsp (8 g) organic cornstarch
1 loaf crusty bread, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes
Japanese Carrot Pickles and Shichimi Togarashi for serving (optional)
Place the cashews, broth, beer, coconut cream, kimchi, nutritional yeast, shiitake powder, miso, garlic and cornstarch in a blender. Blend until completely smooth and combined.
Transfer to a medium saucepan. Start on medium heat, then lower the heat to low and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened. This will take about 6 minutes. You want to be able to dip bread in the fondue without it being too thin or too thick. Turn off the heat and leave the fondue on the stove for another 6 minutes, whisking occasionally. If you have a fondue pot, you can skip that last step and just leave the pot over the candle while you’re eating.
Spear a bread cube onto your fondue fork or regular fork, and swirl it in the mixture. Don’t lose your bread or the drinks are on you! (Them’s the rules.) Serve with carrot pickles and sprinkle with shichimi togarashi, if desired.