A simple yet sumptuous vegetarian curry recipe for two.

Indian cuisine is probably up there as one of my favourites, but I’ll happily admit I tend to leave the cooking of curries to the experts. However, since I love to experiment with dinner recipes for two, I knew I needed at least one homemade curry recipe under my belt.

Whilst this recipe could easily be made with chicken, it’s an absolute vegetarian winner thanks to the well loved firm, slightly salty cheese; halloumi. And what do I believe to be halloumi’s somewhat overlooked best friend? Honey!

My honey, halloumi curry recipe for two gives you sweet, salty and a touch of spice. And fear not, this recipe shouldn’t baffle you with some completely unknown and slightly unattainable ingredients. I was determined to make this Indian curry recipe a little more accessible by using store cupboard spices, and only a dash of cream rather than using up an entire can of high calorie coconut milk.

It’s also great to find a dinner that you can whip up using very little pots and pans. In fact, all you’ll need for this honey halloumi dinner recipe is a saucepan for your turmeric rice and a nice deep pan for your curry, and voila!

My only caveat for this recipe? As we cook off the ground spices to release all those wonderful aromas, it’s probably wise to keep your kitchen door closed. As much as I love the smell of Indian cooking, it’s not always something you want to smell for days afterwards. Trust me, closing a door and using an extractor fan will be perfectly fine, and the taste is so worth it too.

Recipe ingredients

• 225g halloumi
• Half of a white onion
• Half a green pepper
• Half a red pepper
• 1 salad tomato
• Half a red or green chilli
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of runny honey
• 1 teaspoon of ginger
• 2 teaspoons of turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of garam masala
• 1 teaspoon of curry powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
• 200g white rice
• 400g chopped tomatoes
• 50ml double cream
• A handful of chopped fresh coriander
• Olive oil
• Black pepper

Cooking utensils

• A deep dish / saucepan
• A saucepan
• A sieve
• Sharp knives
• Wooden spoon
• Ladle
• Chopping board

1. First, pop your rice into a saucepan and fill with cold water. Give it a swoosh around and let it sit for a while. This will help rinse off additional starch and help your rice cook faster.
2. Heat some olive oil in your large pan on a medium heat. Chop your halloumi into decent sized cubes and get them into the pan to crisp and go a lovely golden colour, before putting aside.
3. Slice your peppers and onions in readiness. You can do the same with your garlic and chilli just so you’re all sorted.
4. Now it’s time to get to the real flavours. To the same pan, let’s add your seasonings – a teaspoon of turmeric, cumin, garam masala, curry powder and ground coriander. Keep stirring and it’ll become almost paste like after a minute.
5. Add in your peppers and onions and cook them until they’re soft – this should take about 5 minutes or so.
6. Slice your tomato into crescents and pop in the pan, cooking for a further minute or so.
7. Add your ginger, chopped garlic and finely diced chilli and cook out for 30 seconds.
8. Now it’s time to tip in your chopped tomatoes. Fill the empty can about a quarter way with water, pour it in and then let it all simmer on a low heat for about 12 minutes.
9. Whilst that is simmering away, rinse out your rice and get it on the boil, adding a teaspoon of turmeric to the water.
10. Add in a tablespoon of honey to your curry and simmer for another 10 minutes.
11. Once the curry sauce has thickened up nicely, we can add the golden cubes of halloumi and your 50ml dash of cream.
12. Stir, letting the halloumi warm up in the sauce, and season with black pepper to your taste.
13. Drain your rice, which will be a beautiful yellow colour, and serve with your beautiful honey halloumi curry. Top it all with some fresh coriander and dig in!

Tasty tips!

• Pack more veg into this curry recipe for two by adding spinach, sugar snap peas or cauliflower,
• Looking for a great set of pans to use? I love this eco-friendly, plant-based non-stick set from Prestige. Not only are they super to use, they look great with a speckled green appearance.
• Make this recipe a little bit naughty by serving this up with a garlic naan bread topped with cheese. What a way to mop up this creamy curry sauce.