Fried halloumi and chickpea rainbow salad
With salty cheese and crunchy chickpeas makes this a tasty, filling salad
“Definitely make this!” enthuses Melissa Hemsley, author of new cookbook Feel Good.
“It’s also delicious stuffed into a wrap, or serve it with rice or quinoa. Halloumi needs to be served straight away, so make this fresh. Swap the halloumi for paneer, or use extra-firm tofu, patted dry, for a plant-based version of this dish.”
Ingredients
(Serves 2)
2tbsp ghee or coconut oil
400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4tsp garam masala
2tsp ground cumin
225g halloumi, cut into small cubes
2tsp maple syrup
Sea salt and pepper
For the salad:
A little diced red onion or chopped spring onions
1 large carrot, scrubbed and roughly grated
1 handful of diced ripe tomatoes
For the cashew-coriander-mint chutney (makes double):
4tbsp cashews or other nuts
4 handfuls of fresh coriander
2 small handful of fresh mint leaves
2 fresh green chilli, deseeded if you prefer, chopped, or a good pinch of chilli flakes
½tsp ground cumin
Juice of 3 limes
4tbsp olive oil
Method
Prepare the salad and arrange in two bowls.
Heat up a large frying pan and toast the cashews for the chutney on a medium heat for three to four minutes, tossing halfway through, until lightly golden, then tip half of them into the small bowl of a food processor and save the rest for garnishing.
Put the pan back on the heat, melt one and a half tablespoons of the ghee and fry the chickpeas (making sure they are dried well in a tea towel before so they don’t spit in the hot oil) on a medium heat for four minutes with half of the spices and a pinch of salt, stirring every now and then. Tip into a bowl, scraping out the delicious bits from the bottom of the pan as you go.
While the chickpeas are frying, add all the other chutney ingredients to the food processor – saving a few herbs for garnishing, if you like – along with about three tablespoons of water, then blend together, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
Put the pan back on the heat with the rest of the ghee and, when melted, fry the halloumi on a medium heat for about two minutes on the first side (keep the pieces of halloumi spaced out) and then turn, sprinkle over the rest of the spices and fry for about one minute on the other side until lightly golden brown and crispy at the edges. Straight away add the fried chickpeas and the maple syrup, then toss together with the halloumi and fry for 30 seconds so that the chickpeas warm through and the maple syrup bubbles and thickens.
Scatter the chickpeas over the bowls of salad with the halloumi on top, drizzle over half of the chutney and top with the remaining nuts.
Feel Good by Melissa Hemsley. Available now
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