Za'atar halloumi with tomato bulgur and Israeli salad
Pan-fried golden halloumi slices, glazed with a splash of lemon and sprinkled with za'atar, served with burghul bi banadoura, coarse bulgur cooked with onion and toasted tomato purée, and a finely chopped Israeli salad dressed at the last moment.
Method
- Boil 350 g water in the kettle. Peel the red onion, finely slice 60 g for the bulgur and cut the remaining 50 g into 3 mm dice for the salad, slicing first in one direction and then the other. Heat 15 g oil in a 20 cm saucepan with a lid over a medium heat and soften the onion for the bulgur for 5 minutes, stirring, until translucent with lightly golden edges.
- Add the tomato purée, cumin and paprika and stir for 1 minute: the paste should darken, turn glossy and smell fragrant. Add the coarse bulgur and stir for 30 seconds to coat, then pour in the 350 g boiling water and add 3.5 g salt. Bring to the boil, cover and cook over a low heat for 12 minutes without stirring, until the water is absorbed and small holes form on the surface. Turn off the heat and rest covered for 5 minutes. If liquid remains at the bottom, cook uncovered over a low heat for 2 minutes. If the grains are still firm and the pan is dry, add 3 tbsp water, cover and wait another 3 minutes.
- While the bulgur cooks, cover the salad onion with cold water for 5 minutes, then drain to mellow its bite. Cut the tomatoes and cucumbers into 5 mm dice, chop the mint and parsley, and combine with the onion in a salad bowl without dressing. Squeeze the lemon to give about 35 g juice and set aside in a bowl. Cut the halloumi block into 8–10 slices, 1 cm thick, and dry thoroughly with kitchen paper.
- Just before cooking the cheese, dress the salad with 25 g lemon juice, 15 g oil, 2.5 g salt and half the pepper, and toss. Fluff the bulgur with a fork in its saucepan and leave covered to stay hot while the halloumi cooks.
- Heat the remaining 10 g oil in a 24 cm non-stick frying pan over a medium heat for about 1 minute, until shimmering. Arrange the halloumi slices in a single layer and cook untouched for 2–3 minutes, until golden underneath. Turn and cook the other side for 1–2 minutes, until golden too and the cheese yields under the spatula.
- Off the heat, pour the remaining 10 g lemon juice over the slices in the pan; it should sizzle and glaze the cheese. Sprinkle with za'atar and the remaining pepper, then immediately arrange the bulgur, salad without the juices left in its bowl, and halloumi on two plates. Serve without delay, as halloumi firms up as it cools.
Variants and their steps remain below the recipe.
Lighter version
The halloumi slices keep their golden crust and firm bite, but there are fewer mouthfuls of salty cheese. More cucumber adds extra fresh crunch and gives lemon and herbs a larger role than the bulgur.
- Halloumi (250 g block) : 150 g
- Coarse bulgur wheat : 110 g
- Water : 260 g
- Cucumbers : 300 g
At step 2, cook 110 g bulgur in 260 g boiling water for the same time.
At step 3, cut 150 g halloumi into 6 slices, 3 per plate. Wrap the remaining 100 g in cling film; it keeps in the refrigerator for a week and can be fried in the same way for breakfast with eggs.
Less cheese and bulgur, with an extra cucumber in the salad, the same seasoning and the same lemon and za'atar finish.
On your plate
Recipe
947 kcal · protein 41 g · carbs 63 g · fat 56 g
Quantities per person
- 125 g Halloumi (250 g block)
- 75 g Coarse bulgur wheat
- 55 g Red onions
- 10 g Double-concentrated tomato purée
- 0.5 g Ground cumin
- 1 g Sweet paprika
- 175 g Water
- 150 g Tomatoes, vine or round
- 100 g Cucumbers
- 5 g Fresh mint
- 7.5 g Flat-leaf parsley
- 20 g Extra virgin olive oil
- 60 g Lemon
- 1.5 g Za'atar (hyssop, sumac and sesame blend)
- 0.25 g Ground black pepper
- 3 g Fine salt
Cooking tips
Make the salad while the bulgur cooks, and fry the halloumi last, with the bulgur waiting in its covered saucepan. Plate everything at once, as the cheese must be eaten hot. Do not salt the halloumi, as it is already salted. For a sweet and spicy variation, add 5 g honey to the pan with the lemon and a pinch of chilli flakes. The bulgur keeps in the refrigerator for 3 days; reheat with a spoonful of water.
Lemon pan-fried halloumi from Cypriot and Israeli tables, Levantine burghul bi banadoura and finely chopped Israeli salad, salat katsutz dak.
Comments and reviews
No comments published yet.
Share your experience
Your first name will appear with your comment. No additional email is required. Comments are reviewed before publication.