Fondue is originally a Swiss creation in which cheese is melted with wine or beer in a communal pot and served as a dipping sauce with bread or vegetables. This recipe was submitted by Rachana Gandhi and offers a “Desi” twist to the popular appetizer. Serve it for your next get-together!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: Varies
Ingredients:
Cheese – 2 cups, shredded (any variety)
Garlic – 1 clove
Butter – 4 Tbsp
All-purpose Flour – 3 Tbsp
Milk – 1 cup plus more as needed
Tomato Paste – 2 Tbsp
Water – 2-3 Tbsp
Pav Bhaji Masala – 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala – 1/2 tsp
Tandoori Masala – 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder – 1/2 tsp
Dried Fenugreek Leaves (Kasoori Methi) – 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Flakes – 1/2 tsp
Assorted Vegetables and Bread for dipping
Method:
1. Heat a medium size pan on medium heat and rub a smashed clove of Garlic on the bottom of the pan.
2. Add Butter and allow it to melt.
3. Add All-purpose Flour, mix and cook until it changes to a light reddish color (stir continuously).
4. Slowly add Milk a little at a time and mix until you get a smooth, lump-free paste (keep stirring using a whisk. Cook for approx 3 minutes.
5. Dilute Tomato Paste with 2-3 Tbsp of water and add to the paste. Mix well.
6. Add all of the dry spices: Pav Bhaji Masala ,Garam Masala ,Tandoori Masala, Red Chili Powder ,Dried Fenugreek Leaves (Kasoori Methi), Red Chili Flakes.
7. Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring continuously.
8. Add Cheese and keep stirring as cheese melts.
9. If the mixture is too thick, add additional milk and keep stirring until you get your desired consistency.
10. Transfer fondue to a fondue pot or crock pot and serve warm with any crusty bread and vegetables such as mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, etc.
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
Tried the fondue last night, it was delicious..had my in-laws over for dinner and I must say they were impressed!! 🙂 I did go a tad bit easy on the cheese though. Thanks guys for the recipe.
Hi Heta,
Thanks for your feedback! Glad everyone enjoyed the fondue!
Hi Hetal & Anuja,
Tried the fondue last night, it was delicious..had my in-laws over for dinner and I must say they were impressed!! 🙂 I did go a tad bit easy on the cheese though. Thanks guys for recipe.
Hello Hetal ji and Anuja ji,
I plan to make this for a big crowd. Is it ok to omit the all purpose flour or reduce the quantity to half? That way I do not have to pay constant attention to the fondue because it gets thick quite fast.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe, and thank you in advance for your reply.
Hi Newbee,
The all-purpose flour helps the texture of the cheese to be smooth rather than oily and clumpy. You could possibly reduce the amount but should not omit it.
Hi Hetal,
First off, Wonderful recips all of them, I must say.
I want to try this recipe but can I make it the previous night if I am serving it for a lunch party?
Also do you know how to best reheat fettucine Alfredo? I am trying to prepare a night ahead for a lunch party I am having this Sunday.
Hi Sharon,
Sorry if this reply is too late for your party…
You can make the fondue the previous night but you may have to thin it out while reheating. I am not a fan of making pasta ahead of time. Something funny always happens to the texture. However, if you must, then be sure to undercook the pasta slightly and add a little water while reheating it (use a non-stick pan on the stove or you can also microwave it).
Dear Hetal & Anuja,
Congratulations for putting up such a wonderful website. What I really love about your approach is the fact that you guys explain things in an elaborate manner and never presume that the reader/viewer already knows the basics. I’ve downloaded so many of your recipes over the last few days and I can’t thank you enough for them.
Can’t wait for the navratras to get over before trying them out :-).
Keep up the excellent work!!! Hope this will help people realise that Indian food need not necessarily mean spicy, greasy stuff and ‘a pinch of spice’ is definitely necessary for that zing!!!!
Neetu
Thanks Neetu! 🙂
Hi,
I wanted to try a fondue recipe. Can I used regular processed cheese too? Don’t you think it will turn out too stringy?
Hi Neha,
When cheese is mixed with the flour mixture, it does not become stringy. You can used processed cheese but it will taste more like queso than fondue.
i love Desi spice, but also like the tanginess of beer in my fondue. Could this recipe be followed by subing a light beer for the milk?
Hi dp,
We have never tried it but technically, it should work…
Let us know the outcome…
hi,can i use corn flour instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Nicky,
Corn Flour will not work – it will make the dish very thick. All Purpose Flour is Maida and it works best for this recipe.
what type of cheese do you prefer when making this fondue?
HI Anjali,
For this one we used the Mexican Style Blend – it is a combination of Monterey Jack, Medium Cheddar, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero Cheese. But honestly, you can use any…
🙂
Hi
Anuja & Hetal,
i dont have tondoori masala. can i skip that? does the taste vary without out this masala? can i use any other alternative.
Thanks,
Divya
Hi Divya,
Yes, you can skip the tandoori masala and just compensate with some amchoor powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and some paprika (or kashmiri mirchi) for color.
hello ladies..
cant wait try tis.. 🙂
jst a few queries, can i make tis without d tomato paste, or can i substitute it with somethin else?? as i live in India n v dont find tomato paste here.. 🙁
and also i dont have a crock or a fondue pot.. so how do i serve it??
waitin for ur reply..
love,
Deepal.. 🙂
Hi Deepal,
You can use tomato ketchup but you may have to adjust the other seasonings. Regarding the serving, serve in a double boiler (place your bowl of fondue over another pot of hot water) .
Can Naan be used with the Desi Fondue???
Yes, if you have them pretty soon after baking. They will not work well if they are cold.
Thanks Hetal Auty!!!
Hello, Hetal aunty and Anuja aunty. my question has nothing to do with the fondue. I have lot of coconut milk so how can make a good use of that. please suggest something. thank you.
Hi Falguni,
Here are a few of the recipes that come to mind…Egg Curry, Cracked Wheat Payasam and Shrimp Biryani. These use coconut milk.
Hi
When serving it with the vegetables, do we need to do something with the veggies or just serve them raw??
can i fry Paneer and serve it with fondue??
Hi Lavi,
You can keep the veggies raw. Try some different colors of bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, etc. Italian or French bread is awesome as well.
thid is very great recipe
This was a hit item among all the appetizers you has last weekend! really enjoyed tasting it.. I should make new friends and invite them to serve it now:)
Hi Priya,
Try this coconut burfi recipe which uses condensed milk:
https://34.233.61.50/2007/05/17/coconut-burfi/
Hi Anuja nd Hetal,
GR8 website and GR8 recepie….thanks to Rachna.I had the orignal fondue with swiss cheese nd wine in Switzerland at someone’s house and since then I wanted the recepie with desi twist!
I have a request….I have lot of Condensed milk with me.Can u plz suggest some simple recepie to use it.
Thnks
great recipe! it was a hit with my family. I didn’t have methi, but it still turned out great! are there any alternatives to using methi?
hi
anuja & hetal
i have tried this recipe by skipping pavbhaji masala n adding quarter tbsp of aamchur.
it has turned out really gud n the taste is different which i have never tasted b4. i really enjoyed eating vth paneer verymuch.
thanks for this recipe.
Interesting recipe….will try it out !
Hi Rasna,
Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback…we’re thrilled!
You can skip the pav bhaji masala and maybe add a little amchur (dried mango powder) for a little sourness.
hi anuja & hetal,
i dont have pav bhaji masala. can i skip that? does the taste vary vth out this masala?
looks yummy……. i have all of the ingredients execpt this masala. i wanna try. pls let me know.
i have tried some of ur recipes n they tasted awsome. my husband ram is wondered n he is asking me why i didnot learn these recipes b4. n he started telling to all of our relatives n friends. he is crazy is’nt it. i am so happy. n all the credit goes to u both.
nd u both u simply amazing vth an amazing delicious website.
the recipes and ur presentation is AMAZING LIKE HELL.
hi honey,
not at all. i’m not finding any problem in viewing the videos. i think there must b a problem somewhere vth ur sys.
hi ,
i could not see any of the video for past 10 day , is this problem exist for all ?