Introduction
This is one of those bowls that just works — salty, crispy halloumi, golden chickpeas, a fresh and crunchy cucumber-tomato salsa, and a hot honey drizzle that ties it all together. It’s packed with flavour, fibre, and fun textures. Best of all, it’s incredibly simple, and you can make it all in the air fryer or oven.
Ingredients (Serves 2-3)
- 1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 block halloumi, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 small cucumber (or ½ a medium), seeds removed, finely diced
- 100g cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 heaped tsp green pesto
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1–2 tsp plain yogurt (for the bowl base)
- Optional: 1 tbsp hummus or extra pesto
- 1 tbsp honey
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- Black pepper & pinch of salt
Steps
1. Preheat your air fryer (200°C) or oven (220°C). Add chickpeas and chopped halloumi to your tray or air fryer basket. If using an oven, give them a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt. (Roast for Air fryer: ~10 minutes, Oven: ~15–20 minutes. Flip halloumi halfway and shake chickpeas for even crisping.
2. While that’s cooking, prep your salsa. Finely dice your cucumber into small 1cm cubes, removing seeds to keep things fresh (cut lengthways into quarters, remove seeds from flesh side with your knife). Quarter your cherry tomatoes to match the cucumber size. Add both to a bowl with a generous pinch of salt and pepper, a spoonful of pesto, and a squeeze of lemon. Mix well and let it sit to marinate while everything cooks.
3. In a small bowl, mix the honey, smoked paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to pour over the halloumi once cooked.
4. Spread a spoonful of yoghurt around the base of your serving bowl. Add a little hummus or pesto if you fancy. Spoon in your salsa.
5. Once the chickpeas and halloumi are golden and crisp, toss them in the hot honey drizzle and coat well. Pile them on top of your salsa-yogurt base.
6. Pair this with warm flatbread, crusty sourdough, or fluffy couscous — whatever you’ve got.
