serves - 2
Cooking time - 30

Beautiful, light Middle Eastern salad infused with bold flavour. Vegetarian and delicious.

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

  • 1 400g can chickpeas 

  • 1 tbsp Arabian Nights spice blend 
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

  • Handful fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

  • Handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped

  • 8 cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped

  • 200g halloumi, cut into 2cm slices

  • 60g giant couscous

  • 80g pomegranate seeds 

  • 1 tsp Aleppo pepper

  • 1 pitta bread, roughly cut into strips

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180° C/ Gas Mark 4. 

  2. Drain the chickpeas and spread out on a large baking tray with the olive oil, Arabian Nights spice blend and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes. 

  3. Remove chickpeas from oven and leave to cool. 

  4. Cook couscous in boiling water as per packet instructions. Drain and set aside. 

  5. In a griddle pan, fry the halloumi slices in a little olive oil till crispy on both sides. 

  6. Remove the halloumi from the pan and add the strips of pitta bread. Fry till golden and crispy. 

  7. In a large bowl, mix together the couscous, chickpeas, tomatoes, mint, parsley, pomegranate and Aleppo pepper. Season to taste. 

  8. Serve in bowls topped with the fried halloumi and crispy pitta bread. 

Substitutes & Suggestions

  • Pitta bread can be substituted for tortilla wraps or flatbreads. 

  • Aleppo pepper can be substituted for paprika, cayenne pepper or crushed chilli flakes.

September 21, 2021 — Ben Smyth

Product used in this recipe

From