Butter Halloumi Curry

Ingredients: What You Need + What You Can Swap

• Halloumi is, of course, a crucial ingredient here. However, if you live in a part of the world where genuine Cypriot halloumi is harder / more expensive to come by, feel free to use a local version such as bread cheese or a halloumi style cheese. I talk this more in my guide to halloumi, but sometimes those imitations can go rogue and melt (something imported halloumi would never do). So if you’re shopping for halloumi style cheeses, it’s worth testing to make sure you can be confident that it will fry up well before you set out making recipes with it.
• I use single cream, which would be “light cream” in North America. You can use heavy / double cream if that is all you have, it is of course going to be creamier. So just start off with a little less than the recipe calls for and see what you think.
• The terms for tomato products can get a little confusing. Specifically, the term tomato puree is used differently on both sides of the Atlantic. This recipes includes tomato paste (very thick, condensed tomatoes – this is known as tomato puree in the UK) and passata (pureed strained tomatoes which are not cooked down – this is known as tomato puree in the US). Hopefully my photo makes it clear what we’re looking for!
• The recipe calls for a teaspoon of chili powder. I use an Indian Kashmiri curry powder, which is a pure chili powder (no cumin / fillers / etc) but a mild one. The curry has a little chili kick but isn’t spicy. Paprika or any other mild chili powder will do the job, but you want to avoid a Tex Mex chili powder blend if you can. If you want to make curries often, getting some Kashmiri curry powder is a sound investment.
• A lot of the recipe’s signature sweetness comes from cardamom and cloves, which are fried at the beginning and left to simmer in the sauce. If you aren’t able to use these, you could try adding another half teaspoon of garam masala to increase the sweetness.

Adding to the curry

Don’t hesitate to use this as a base recipe to build upon. Some ideas for you:

• The easiest way to get some green in here would be to throw in a bunch of chopped fresh spinach. It will wilt in and the sauce will still feel smooth and creamy. Kale would work too – though it will change the texture of the sauce.
• Frozen veggies are also a great option. Frozen spinach need to be defrosted with the water squeezed out, and then it can be added in alongside the passata. A handful of frozen peas or mixed veggies will slot in nicely too, but I would pre-cook these to stop them leaching too much water into the sauce as they cook.
• A can of chickpeas or other beans would be a welcome addition to boost the protein.
• A handful of roasted cauliflower or broccoli florets would be add great flavor and texture here.