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Halloumi bites with hot tomato jam
Makes 36 Starters and mains
For the tomato jam
- 3tbsp olive oil
- 8 garlic cloves, finely diced
- 1-2 poblano or jalapeño chillies, finely diced (deseeded if you like)
- 1⁄2tsp ground cumin
- 500g diced tomatoes
- 3tbsp good-quality hot pepper paste
- 1tbsp tomato purée
- juice 1 lemon
For the cheese
- 1 large egg white
- 450g halloumi (2 x blocks)
- 115g breadcrumbs, seasoned with, for example, 1⁄4tsp each garlic powder, dried basil, and lemon pepper
- plain flour, for dusting
- vegetable oil, for frying
Method
To make the jam, in a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the garlic, chillies and cumin and cook, stirring constantly, for around 3 minutes until softened. Add the tomatoes, cover, and cook for around 15 minutes until the tomatoes are very soft. Add the hot pepper paste, tomato purée and lemon juice and simmer for around 10 minutes, uncovered, until the sauce thickens and reduces a bit.
For the cheese, in a shallow bowl, beat the egg white until frothy. Cut each halloumi block in half horizontally and cut them into 5cm squares. In a second shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and spices. Lightly dust the cheese cubes with flour, then toss them in the egg white, followed by the breadcrumb mixture. Pour enough vegetable oil in a frying pan to reach a depth of 1.25cm, or fill a deep-fat fryer with oil to a depth that will submerge the cheese cubes. Heat the oil until very hot, but not smoking. Fry for around 4 minutes until golden on all sides.
Serve the bites immediately with the jam on the side for dipping (reheat it if needed).
Note: For a gluten-free version, just omit the breadcrumbs and fry the cheese on its own.
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