Intro to Halloumi – The Cheese that Squeaks

For some reason I have many Halloumi stories… In honor of the ones out there who haven’t tried Halloumi cheese yet, here is one:

Once upon a trip to Israel (a few good years ago), one morning we were standing in line at one of my favorite cafes. All line long I was going on and on about the perfect little breakfast I was about to order: It was a coffee and a Halloumi cheese sandwich. My brother in-law was standing right next to me and was about to pull a classic first timer “I’ll have what she’s having” trick 🙂 (in his defense we do like a lot of similar foods). However, this was not before he asked me, “What is Halloumi cheese?” I had to think for a second and the best description I could come up with was: “it’s salty, it’s juicy and it’s squeaky…” He was confused and amused and he did end up ordering exactly what I’d ordered. From that first bite on, he became a HUGE Halloumi fan!

A few Halloumi words:

Halloumi cheese is a white semi-hard ancient cheese that originated in Cyprus. Traditionally it is made out of sheep milk and in its preparation process mint leaves are added to the cheese. It has such great taste and texture, but the most unique and interesting thing about Halloumi is what happens to it in high temperatures… HINT: this is when taste and texture get a whole new meaning. Halloumi cheese is best when fried or grilled and it holds its shape and does not not melt!

This popular salad is a great way to showcase Halloumi cheese.

You will need:

Halloumi Cheese

Cucumber

Tomato

Green Pepper

Red Bell Pepper

Purple Onion

Avocado

For Dressing:

Lemon Juice (freshly squeezed)

Olive Oil

Salt

Black Pepper

Let’s get to work!

Chop Chop Chop…

Israeli salad is usually finely chopped, (maybe ¼ of an inch cubes) so here we go!

Starting with the cucumbers – I ONLY use mini (also called Persian) cucumbers; they have a true cucumber flavor and most important there is no need to remove any seeds.

look how nicely all these veggie friends are waiting in line for their turn … 🙂

Next are the bell peppers, red and green… they are beautiful and add both texture and flavor.

Chop the peppers.

Next is the purple onion, which has just a little milder flavor than the white or yellow ones.

For this sized-salad a half small onion is enough in my opinion. Chop the onion super fine.

Let’s take care of the tomatoes.

To make sure the salad is not overly wet, I like to remove the seeds and the juicy wet part of the tomato.

Now you can just chop away…

The easiest way is to quarter the tomato and insert the knife into each quarter to remove the center. Cube your tomatoes.

I LOVE avocado! After removing the pit, slice cubes inside the skin using just the tip of the knife. Use a spoon to scoop out your perfect cubes.

Look how pretty all these colors are together…

Now that we have all the veggies chopped and ready, let’s prepare the Halloumi.

First, I like to start by making sure the cheese is not wet; pat dry the Halloumi using a paper towel. Cube the cheese, I like a little less than an inch sized cubes.

Did You Know? Nobody really knows the true meaning of the word Halloumi, but in Hebrew it sounds almost like the word “dreamy” 🙂 …and this is exactly what this cheese is – so so dreamy, I can live on it!

It is best to use a nonstick pan and high heat when searing Halloumi. If the cheese might stick to your pan add a little olive oil to the bottom of it. Fry the Halloumi on high heat until golden on both sides. About couple of minutes for each side. I also try to get the other surfaces as I turn the cheese cubes in the pan. check to see that brownish golden color before you flip the cubes to the other side.

Add the golden Halloumi cubes to the salad.