Greek chickpea salad with spiced haloumi and yoghurt

Tamara West

Haloumi is a mild, salty cheese that originates from Cyprus, and is utterly delicious when pan-fried until it is melted and gooey on the inside and slightly crisp and golden on the outside. Served with a healthy fresh salad of chickpeas and vegetables, it makes a delicious light meal. To turn it into a more substantial meal, you could add a few slices of cooked chicken or lamb. I know curry powder is not very Greek, but trust me, it goes really well with the haloumi.

Ingredients

½	Telegraph cucumbers, halved lengthways and sliced
½	Red onions, small, thinly sliced
1 can	Chickpeas, 400g, drained and rinsed (Main)
1 handful	Baby spinach
½ cup	Kalamata olives, pitted, roughly chopped
½ cup	Sundried tomatoes, chopped
½ cup	Mint leaves, torn
2 Tbsp	Fresh oregano, chopped
1 squeeze	Lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil, to dress
¼ cup	Greek yoghurt, natural unsweetened

Spiced haloumi

1 tsp	Cumin seeds
2 tsp	Curry powder
150 g	Haloumi cheese, sliced 1cm thick (about 8 slices) (Main)
1 Tbsp	Olive oil

Directions

1. Toss cucumber, red onion, chickpeas, baby spinach, olives, sundried tomatoes, mint and oregano together.
2. Mix cumin seeds and curry powder together. Dust haloumi slices in spice mixture. Heat olive oil in a fry pan (preferably non-stick) on medium heat.
3. Cook spiced haloumi for 1-2 minutes each side until golden brown on the outside and soft inside.
4. Dress salad with lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix the rest of the spice mix with the yoghurt.
5. Divide between bowls and top with spiced haloumi and a dollop of spiced yoghurt.