Chilli Salt Halloumi Fries with Hot Honey and Cucumber Mint Dip

Difficulty: Easy | Prep: 15 min | Cook: 10 min | Total: 25 min | Serves: 4 | Dietary: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian

Halloumi fries are the snack that vanishes before the first ad break. These get a cornflour coat mixed with Chooki's Chilli Chicken Salt, so the outside goes shattery and red-flecked while the middle stays soft and squeaky. Hot honey over the top, a cold cucumber mint dip on the side. Finals weekend sorted.

Step 1: Make the Dip and Hot Honey

Squeeze the grated cucumber hard in your fist or a clean tea towel to get the water out, otherwise the dip goes runny in ten minutes. Stir it through the yoghurt with the mint and the lime juice, then pop it in the fridge. Warm the honey and chilli flakes in a small saucepan over low heat for a minute until it loosens up, then take it off the heat.

Step 2: Coat the Halloumi

Pat the halloumi batons dry with paper towel. Wet halloumi spits in hot oil, so don't skip this. Mix the cornflour and 1½ teaspoons Chooki's Chilli Chicken Salt in a bowl, add the batons and toss until every side has a thin, even coat. Tap off the excess.

Step 3: Shallow Fry

Heat about 2cm of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until a pinch of cornflour sizzles straight away (around 180°C). Fry the halloumi in two batches, turning once, for 1 to 2 minutes a side until deep golden. Lift out onto a paper towel lined plate.

Step 4: Drizzle and Serve

Pile the fries on a board while they're still hot, spoon the hot honey over the top and finish with a small pinch of Chooki's Chilli. Serve straight away with the cucumber mint dip and lime wedges. They lose their crunch as they cool, so get them to the table fast.

Tip: Halloumi is already salty, which is why the Chooki's goes in the coating and only a pinch goes on at the end. The honey and a squeeze of lime balance it all out.