This super easy, 25-minute halloumi curry uses simple, affordable ingredients and turns them into something special. Creamy with coconut milk, beautifully spiced and packed with spinach for extra goodness, this wonderful weeknight curry is also fab for meal prep.
Halloumi is one of my favourite things to cook ever. It’s versatile, a wonderful high-protein alternative to meat and pairs beautifully with so many different flavours. Salty, golden cheese, pan-fried to perfection in a creamy tomato curry, loaded with all the goodness from spinach? A super satisfying weeknight winner.
Paneer is a common ingredient in curries, but it can be tricky to find in regular grocery stores. Halloumi tends to be easily accessible, and honestly? I prefer the flavour anyway. It’s salty and meaty, whereas paneer is creamier and milder.
This curry is a wonderful quick weeknight meal – it takes just 25 minutes and is loaded with delicious flavour. It’s also great if you’re following a low-carb or Keto diet – just skip the rice, or serve it with cauliflower rice (which is more delicious than it’s given credit for). It’s also great as part of a curry night fakeaway spread. Serve with creamy New Zealand-style butter chicken or chicken rogan josh, along with garlic naan or cheese stuffed naan.
Ingredients
Nothing is tricky to find here – but I’ve given some easy substitutions below, just in case.
- Halloumi. This lovely salty cheese is generally easy to find in the cheese section of regular grocery stores. For 4 servings, use 2 blocks of halloumi (which are generally about 225g/8oz).
- Tomato passata. These super finely sieved tomatoes provide a lovely smooth base for the sauce (also known as tomato puree in the US). You could also use a tin of crushed tomatoes or whole plum tomatoes. You may need to let the sauce simmer a little longer if you do, just so the tomatoes can break down.
- Spices. We’re using curry powder, garam masala and Kashmiri chilli powder. Kashmiri chilli powder is pretty mild, and if you can’t find it you can replace it with smoked paprika. If you’re worried about spiciness, make sure you’re using a mild curry powder – some are spicier than others.
- Coconut milk. This adds a lovely sweet creaminess to the sauce, but you could leave it out. Always check your coconut milk to see how high the concentration of actual coconut is – you’d be surprised at how small a percentage is in some brands. If you open your coconut milk and you see the top has solidified, give it a mix. This can sometimes happen and it’s just the solid coconut separating from the water.
How to make it
Cook your cubed halloumi in a little oil first – we want the lovely flavour and texture of crispy halloumi – this will just take a couple of minutes.
Then melt your butter in the pan you cooked the halloumi in, then add your diced onion and cook until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and spices and cook for another minute before going in with the passata, then the coconut milk.
Let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes, then add the crispy halloumi into the sauce, give it a mix and then add all the spinach. Stir the spinach through the curry as it wilts into the sauce, and then you’re done. Serve with rice and garlic naan or cheese naan (or just enjoy it by itself!)
Got a question?
Yes! Like many curries – this one is great to make ahead of time. The flavours have even more chance to develop and seep into everything. Store the curry for 5 days in the fridge, and you can reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
It can – you can freeze it for up to 3 months and then defrost it overnight in the fridge, on the counter, or you can defrost it over a gentle heat on the stovetop.
Yes, you can – both kinds of cheese have a high melting point, so they can be pan-fried and tossed with a sauce without falling apart. And I find halloumi has a stronger flavour than paneer, so actually prefer it.
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Quick Creamy Halloumi Curry
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This super easy, 25-minute halloumi curry uses simple, affordable ingredients and turns them into something special. Creamy with coconut milk, beautifully spiced and packed with spinach for extra goodness, this wonderful weeknight curry is also fab for meal prep.
Ingredients
For the rice –
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the halloumi curry –
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (sunflower, rapeseed, canola, vegetable)
- 2 packets of halloumi (generally 225g/8oz each)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1-inch piece of ginger, grated (or use 2 teaspoons ginger paste)
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder (or use smoked paprika)
- 500g/1lb tomato passata
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 150g/5oz spinach leaves
Instructions
- Make the rice. Add 1 1/2 cups of rice to a small pot you have a lid for (if you don’t have a lid use a plate or wooden board). Pour in 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt, then place over high heat. Once the water starts to look foamy on top, pop the lid on and turn the heat right down. Leave it there for 12 minutes, then remove it from the heat, with the lid still on, and let it sit until you’re ready to serve.
- Pan-fry the halloumi. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large, high-sided skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add the cubed halloumi, and cook for 2 -3 minutes on each side, until lovely and golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Cook the onion. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the same pan, set over medium heat, then add the finely diced onion and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook the onion, stirring, until it starts to soften and change colour (it’ll look more transparent). This will take about 5 minutes.
- Add spices. Once the onion is nice and soft, add the crushed garlic cloves, ginger, 1 teaspoon of garam masala, 1 teaspoon of curry powder and 1 teaspoon of Kashmiri chilli powder (or paprika). Stir them through the onion for another minute, so the spices have a chance to bloom.
- Add the passata. Pour in 500g of tomato passata (or crushed/plum tomatoes), stir, then bring to a simmer for a few minutes. Then, pour in 1/2 cup of coconut milk and stir it through the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer for 5 minutes.
- Finish the curry. The sauce should be looking a little thicker – at this point, add the cooked halloumi into the curry and stir it through. Then add all the spinach, and mix it through the curry. It will look like A LOT of spinach when you add it, but it will quickly wilt down into the sauce as the heat cooks it. Remove the curry from the heat and get ready to serve. Divide the rice between plates, then top with the curry. Finish with a scattering of coriander/cilantro if you like, and serve with some fresh garlic naan or cheese-stuffed naan.
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES: Tomato passata is known as tomato puree in the USA – it’s very finely sieved tomatoes and can be found with the tinned tomatoes in your grocery store. It normally comes in either a jar or a carton.
SUBSTITUTIONS: You could use paneer rather than halloumi if you like. Replace the spinach with another leafy green like kale or cavolo nero, and if you can’t find tomato passata, use a tin of crushed or whole plum tomatoes.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Like any curry, this one is wonderful to make ahead of time as the flavours develop even more as they sit. It will last for 5 days, stored in a container in the fridge and you can easily reheat it either in the microwave or on the stovetop. Halloumi actually freezes well too, so you can freeze the curry for 3 months and then defrost it overnight in the fridge, on the counter, or heat it gently on the stovetop as it defrosts. I like to freeze it in ziplock bags for easy storage.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: fakeaways
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
Keywords: vegetarian curry, spinach curry
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