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Halloumi and Watermelon Skewers with Tamarind Dip

This recipe for Halloumi and Watermelon Skewers from Nadiya Hussain's BBC2 show, Nadiya's British Food Adventure, is a perfect meat-free barbecue dish.

From the book

Introduction

I am obsessed with this tamarind drip and eat it with almost anything. It works really well with different textures and tastes, like these skewers, which are a mixture of crisp bread, sweet juicy watermelon and salty halloumi. In this recipe, I give you a special trick to keep the halloumi lovely and gooey in the centre, so it doesn’t dry out during cooking. These skewers are great on the barbecue, but are just as good done indoors on a griddle or under the grill.

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Ingredients

For the drizzle:
75ml olive oil
1 tsp onion salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
For the skewers:
500g halloumi cheese, cut into 2.5cm cubes
400g watermelon, cut into 2.5cm cubes
150g white bread, cut into 2.5cm cubes
For the dip:
95g tamarind paste
100ml water
60g runny honey
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 small red onion (approx. 60g), chopped

Essential kit

You will need wooden skewers.

Method

Soak eight wooden skewers in cold water for 15 minutes.

Mix the drizzle ingredients in a jug.

Put the halloumi into a bowl and boil a kettle of water. Pour the boiling water over the halloumi and leave for 20 minutes. This will make the cheese really soft and smooth in the centre when cooked.

Drain the halloumi, the put it into a large bowl with the watermelon and bread. Drizzle over the oil mixture and give everything a good mix.

Thread cubes of halloumi, watermelon and bread onto each skewer, about six cubes on each, mixing them up. If there is any oil mixture left in the base of the bowl, drizzle it over the skewers.

To make the dip, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Place a griddle pan on high heat. Brush it lightly or spray with a little oil. Put in four skewers at a time and griddle for about 6 minutes, making sure to turn them every 1½ minutes so that you char all sides. If you prefer, you can cook them all at once under the grill, for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally.

Set aside on a plate, with some foil over the top to keep them warm, while you grill the rest of the skewers.

Serve with the tamarind dip.

Prep: 25 minutes, plus soaking. Cook: 10 minutes (6 minutes if griddling, 8-10 minutes if grilling)

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From the book: Nadiya’s British Food Adventure

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