Grilled Halloumi with Couscous, Carrots & Chickpeas
Adapted from my coworker’s halloumi marinade that she shared with me
Halloumi is something I love to order but until recently had not made for myself. Thanks to my coworker I finally made an attempt, and it is definitely going to be a household favorite now. This meal serves two pretty generously I would say, and it would be fine as is for three I think but you may want more halloumi if you plan to feed four. The spices and the sauce are the star of the show here so feel free to modify the veggies with whatever interests you. Halloumi should also be pretty easy to find, my local Smith’s carries it in the deli with other specialty cheeses.
Marinate the Halloumi
1 5 oz container of plain nonfat Greek yogurt
Olive oil
1 lemon
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon each of ginger, coriander, garam masala, cumin
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper (or less if you don’t like spicy)
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne (omit or reduce if you don’t like spicy)
1 8-ish oz package of halloumi (mine was technically 7.9 oz)
Pour the yogurt into a small bowl to make the marinade. Add a splash of olive oil to the yogurt and stir.
Zest and juice the lemon into the bowl. Zest then juice is definitely the right order, and you will not be happy if you reverse it.
Crush or finely chop the garlic cloves and add to the marinade.
Add the spices and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary (you may want salt, for example).
Halloumi normally is packaged in brine, so I rinse mine first to try and get any excess salt off it. After rinsing, pat dry and slice into 4-ish pieces. Ideally you want them to be just less than an inch thick, but other than that, size is not too important.
Place the halloumi in a small baking dish or similar vessel, and pour the marinade over the pieces.
Marinate for about 30 minutes, flipping and re-coating after 15 minutes.
Cook the Couscous
1/2 half cup dry couscous
1/2 cup of water
Olive oil
Salt
In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil.
Once the water is boiling, add a splash of olive oil, a little bit of salt, and the couscous. Stir everything together quickly, remove from heat, and cover. Let stand for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork, or if you’re me, completely forget about it while you focus on the veggies and the curry. Don’t worry, it will be just fine, just harder to fluff. Keep covered until ready to serve.
Make the Curry
3 carrots
1 can of chickpeas
Olive oil
1 can (15.5 oz) diced tomatoes
Nonstick spray
Fresh cilantro (optional)
Peel and slice the carrots. I like to do diagonal slices because I think they look pretty, and I also like to cut them a little thick so they retain crunch after cooking. Follow your heart when cutting your carrots.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas, and set aside to dry a little bit.
Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Once the oil is heated, add the carrots and chickpeas. Sauté for 7-8 minutes, just to start softening things up.
Add the can of diced tomatoes (juice and all) and let everything simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
After adding the tomatoes, heat the grill/griddle to medium-high heat. The timing we want is for the grill to be ready, the halloumi to be done marinating, and the tomatoes to have simmered for about 10 minutes, which should work out following the directions in this order.
Once the grill is ready to go, spray it generously with nonstick spray and add the halloumi slices. They will grill each side for about 3-5 minutes.
Pour the remaining marinade into the veggie pan, and let everything simmer while the halloumi grills, stirring every now and again.
Chop the cilantro, if using. I used just a small handful.
In the final minute of the halloumi grill time, begin to plate by dividing the couscous into bowls and topping with the curry. Add the halloumi once it’s done, and sprinkle the cilantro. Savor all of the delicious spices and enjoy!
Leave a comment if you gave this a try, and let me know how it went!