Crispy halloumi fries

This easy recipe is great for a starter, a side dish, a main meal or a snack, depending on what you serve with it!

Preparation time: Around 5 minutes

Cooking time: Around 10 minutes

I’ve recently done this dish as an appetiser to share (as pictured), and as a main meal (serving it with salad, flatbreads and a selection of dips), and it works equally well as both.

Ingredients (serves 2 as a main meal, or 4 as a sharing dish):

• Halloumi blocks – 2

• Plain flour – 80g

• Paprika – 2 tsp

• Sunflower/vegetable oil – enough for shallow frying

• As an appetiser – pitta breads and hummus to serve

• As a main meal – salad, flatbreads and dips to serve

Method:

1. Cut the halloumi blocks lengthways into chunky chips – but no smaller that 1cm x 1cm, otherwise they’re likely to fall apart when cooking.

2. Add the flour and paprika together in a flat-based bowl or dish and mix well, then add the halloumi chips (in batches, if necessary) and toss them to ensure they are well coated in the flour/paprika mix.

3. Add the oil to a large frying pan until it’s about 1.5cm deep, and then heat until the oil sizzles when a piece of halloumi is added.

4. In batches if necessary, fry the halloumi chips for about 2-3 minutes on one side, and then turn over with tongs to fry for around 2-3 minutes on the other side. Once they’re crispy and golden all over, use the tongs to remove them to a tray lined with some kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil.

5. For an appetiser to share, arrange the halloumi fries in a bowl, and serve with a pot of hummus (livened up with a sprinkle of paprika and a splash of extra virgin olive oil) and toasted pitta bread cut into strips (as pictured).

6. For a main meal, divide the halloumi fries into stacks on individual plates, and serve with a lightly dressed babyleaf salad, grilled flatbreads, and a selection of dips (I like tzatziki and sweet chilli, as well as hummus).

Crispy halloumi fries with pitta bread and hummus