Halloumi cheese wraps with North African influences featuring roasted peppers and a delicious, easy harissa paste, honey & yoghurt sauce.
This recipe is nice and easy and much of the preparation, including roasting the peppers can be done in advance. The halloumi takes just 5-6 minutes to fry and then you serve it all up together and allow people to make their own wraps.
Fried Cheese Wraps
Halloumi cheese is a Greek/Cypriot cheese with a very high melting point which makes it ideal for frying.
As you would expect it is commonly associated with flavours from that region. However, I think it is glorious with North African flavours and I combine the two quite often.
I’ve got everything from harissa halloumi kebabs, harissa halloumi stuffed peppers and some wonderful zaatar and sumac halloumi burgers.
These wonderful halloumi wraps rock all of the flavours that I think work so well with everyone’s favourite squeaky cheese.
The fried halloumi is tossed in a combination of zaatar and sumac, and they get a generous dollop of a stupidly easy yoghurt and rose harissa sauce.
Then of course we have veggies, loads of them! I add soft and luscious roasted peppers, and then for crunch and texture, we add sweet red onion, cucumber and tomatoes.
Chuck it all on the table and get stuck in and make your own wraps, my kinda easy dinner!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use store-bought roasted peppers?
Yes, absolutely! If it makes your life easier then knock yourself out.
Can I make the peppers in advance?
Yes, they will be fine in the fridge for 3-5 days in an airtight container. If you cut them into strips and submerge them in olive oil they will last a lot longer.
Can I fry the halloumi in advance?
Technically yes, fried cold halloumi is safe to eat, however, I prefer to serve the halloumi hot in this recipe.
What is harissa paste?
Harissa is a North African pepper/chilli paste. This recipe calls for rose harissa which adds rose petals and or rose water into the mix and it is delicious.
What is Sumac?
Sumac is a wonderful spice that has a glorious earthy and sour flavour. It is made from the dried berries from a small shrub and is relatively easy to find in supermarkets.
Serving Suggestions
I’m perfectly happy to serve these halloumi wraps as a complete meal and rarely serve them with a side.
However, If I were to then it would likely involve some form of fried or air-fried potatoes.
My air fryer potato wedges are a perennial favourite in our house, as are my air fryer chips.
Salt and pepper chips or sweet potato fries would work just as well too, and they are so easy to make.
Equipment Used
I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But, if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Oven or air fryer to roast the peppers.
- Baking tray, only required if you are roasting the peppers in the oven.
- Hob/stovetop.
- 30cm or 12″ nonstick frying pan.
- Mixing bowls.
- Cling film.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- A combination of weighing scales, measuring cups and spoons.
Halloumi Wraps Recipe with a Harissa Yoghurt Sauce
These delicious fried halloumi cheese wraps are a gloriously delicious lunch dish and are loaded with roasted peppers, cucumber, tomato and red onion and topped with a fantastic harissa pasta and yoghurt sauce.
Ingredients
- 6 Small Soft Flour Wraps
For the Halloumi Cheese:
- 200g (7oz) Halloumi Cheese
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- ½ Tbsp Zaatar
- ½ Tsp Sumac
For the Vegetables:
- 2 Small Bell Peppers (Any Colour You Want)
- 2 Small-Medium (200g Total) Tomatoes
- 1 Small (100g) Red Onion
- Half of a Small (150g Total) Cucumber
- Fresh Coriander to Garnish
For the Sauce:
- 150g (½ Cup) Natural Yoghurt
- 1-2 Tbsp Rose Harissa Paste
- 10g (½ Tbsp) Runny Honey
- Pinch of Salt
Instructions
- Roast the peppers until blistered and then place them in a bowl and cover with cling film. You can do this either in the oven (220°C or 430°F) or in an Air Fryer (200°C or 390°F), it will take around 20-25 minutes in an air fryer or 30-35 minutes in the oven.
- Cut each tomato into 16 wedges, remove the seeds and discard them.
- Top and tail the red onion, cut it in half, peel it and then slice it as thinly as you can.
- Cut the half of cucumber in half, remove the seeds with a teaspoon and then cut it into strips, and cut the strips in half lengthways.
- When the peppers have cooled enough to handle, remove the stems and peel off the skin, scrape out the seeds (discard these) and then cut the flesh into strips. There will be a bit of liquid in the base of the bowl that the peppers steamed, in, keep this we will use it later.
- Mix the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl adding salt to taste
- Cut the halloumi cheese into strips around 1cm (just under ½") in profile.
- Heat a 30cm or 12" (nonstick) frying pan over a high heat and when it is hot add the olive oil, followed by the halloumi and cook until golden on all sides, this will take around 5-6 minutes.
- When the halloumi is nicely golden pour in the juices from the roasted peppers and cook for 10-15 seconds.
- Sprinkle with half of the zaatar and sumac and toss to coat. Mix the rest and serve it on the side.
- Serve it all and build your own wraps.
Notes
The timing for this recipe includes roasting the peppers in an air fryer, if you are cooking them in the oven you should add another 10 minutes. If you are using store-bought roasted peppers the overall time should be reduced by 25 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 835Total Fat: 40gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 1341mgCarbohydrates: 84gFiber: 8gSugar: 20gProtein: 38g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.