Instructions

1. Place a large pan over medium heat and pour enough oil to shallow fry the halloumi, about 1cm deep.
2. While oil is heating, cut halloumi into chunky “fries”. Tip: Halloumi often has a natural break in it, so you can often just cut it lengthways into 4 or 5 slices, then break into batons at the natural break. If there isn’t one, simply cut each slice in half. Lay the pieces of halloumi into paper towel and use another piece of paper towel to pat the top to remove as much water as possible. Less water means less hot oil spitting!
3. You can also prepare the dipping sauce by simply spooning yoghurt into a small serving bowl and swirling harissa paste through it.
4. The oil will have a visible rippling on the surface when it’s hot enough to fry, but you can also test the heat by holding a wooden chopstick or skewer in the oil, if the oil creates little bubbles on the stick immediately, it’s ready.
5. Very carefully drop half of the halloumi, from just above the surface of the oil, into the oil, you can use tongs to do this. Leave to fry until golden, then gently turn halloumi over and fry the other side until golden.
6. Remove halloumi from the oil and leave to drain on paper towel while you add the remaining halloumi to the pan to cook.
7. Once all the halloumi is cooked, place in a shallow bowl and sprinkle over ras el hanout spice blend, toss to coat all the fries.
8. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and roughly chopped mint, if using. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.