A cheese, onion and pickle kinda dish

Name: A cheese, onion and pickle kinda dish (Halloumi Cheese with Madinian Dukkah Oil and Mint Crisps)
Cuisine: Saudi Arabian
Ingredients: 2 x 225 g (8 oz) blocks of halloumi; 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; ½ tbsp runny honey (or maple syrup for a vegan option); ½ tbsp runny honey (or maple syrup for a vegan option); 4 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp Madinian Dukkah (or to taste); 1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper flakes); 1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo pepper flakes); 1 tsp rose harissa paste; 1 tsp brown sugar; Juice and zest of 1 lemon; Juice and zest of 1 small clementine; 80 g (2¾ oz) sun-dried tomatoes, very finely chopped; 50 g (1¾ oz) roasted cashews or peanuts (or a combination of both), halved; 50 g (1¾ oz) roasted cashews or peanuts (or a combination of both), halved; 50 g (1¾ oz) gherkins, roughly chopped; 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped; 1 tbsp dill, finely chopped; Handful of fresh mint leaves; 2 cloves of garlic, crushed; Handful of pomegranate seeds; pomegranate molasses, to drizzle; Handful of crispy fried onions

Halloumi Cheese with Madinian Dukkah Oil and Mint Crisps

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Red Sea Cookbook

By Madeeha Qureshi

Published 2026

About

A perfect light lunch or dinner on its own or part of an elaborate brunch, this is a flavour bomb of a recipe, bursting with the minty freshness of Madinian Dukkah. This recipe can easily be made vegan by substituting extra-firm tofu in place of the halloumi.

Ingredients

2 x 225 g (8 oz) blocks of halloumi
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil<

Asia
Saudi Arabia
Dinner
Lunch
Gluten-free
Vegetarian

Method

Begin with the mint and garlic for the garnish. Heat the oil for the Madinian dukkah in a small frying pan and, once hot, add the mint leaves. Fry them for a minute or so until crisp, then transfer them to a plate and set aside. In the same oil, fry the garlic until lightly brown. Remove from the oil with a strainer and put on a plate. Set aside until you are ready to serve.

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