Halloumi Fatteh
Sabrina Ghayour
Serves
4Ingredients
250g block of halloumi cheese | |
vegetable oil | |
250g minced beef | |
1 teaspoon ground cumin | |
1 teaspoon paprika | |
1 teaspoon garlic granules | |
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses | |
handful of pomegranate seeds | |
handful of chopped fresh coriander | |
Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper | |
pitta bread, to serve | |
FOR THE TAHINI YOGHURT | |
150g Greek yoghurt | |
2 tablespoons tahini | |
1 garlic clove, minced | |
juice of ½ lemon |
I love marrying foods of different cultures. While halloumi is a Cypriot staple and fatteh is an Arab recipe, when two things are so incredibly delicious, I can’t resist the urge to bring them together – crispy, salty halloumi topped with spiced minced beef and tahini yohgurt. Double the quantity if you are in a sharing mood and have some toasted pitta bread to hand to bring it all together and mop up every last bite.
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Instructions
1. | Cut the block of halloumi in half lengthways so you have two long rectangular pieces. |
2. | Cut each piece into 4 equal fingers, then cut each finger into 3 equal chunks. |
3. | Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat and drizzle in a little vegetable oil. |
4. | Add the minced beef and immediately break it up as finely as you can to prevent it cooking in clumps, adding the spices and garlic granules as you do so. |
5. | Season generously with salt and pepper and cook until the meat is well browned, then set aside. |
6. | Heat another frying pan over a medium heat, pour in about 1cm vegetable oil and bring to a gentle frying temperature (add a breadcrumb: if it bubbles nicely without sizzling too much, the oil is hot enough). |
7. | Line a plate with a double layer of kitchen paper. |
8. | Add the halloumi to the hot oil and fry until a deep golden brown on all sides. |
9. | Meanwhile, place a small saucepan over a gentle heat, add the tahini yoghurt ingredients with a generous amount of salt and pepper and stir until well combined. |
10. | If necessary, add some lukewarm water to thin it down to the consistency of thick double cream. |
11. | Warm through, then remove from the heat. |
12. | Once the halloumi is cooked, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to the paper-lined plate to drain. |
13. | To serve, arrange the halloumi on the plate first, then top with the minced beef, followed by the tahini yoghurt, pomegranate molasses and seeds and the coriander. |
14. | Serve immediately with toasted pitta breads. This needs no accompaniment. |
Recipes and images
extracted from
Persiana Everyday
by Sabrina Ghayour.
Photography by Kris
Kirkham. RRP $49.99.