‘New Kitchen Basics’ cookbook: Recipes from chilli Sri Lankan hoppers to halloumi with butter beans

Some essential recipes, from mouthwatering halloumi to coconut chilli hoppers

Say cheese: this halloumi dish is dripping with flavour (Sam Folan)

Fried halloumi with aubergine and butter beans

Halloumi is often the default cheesy slab to fry or grill (broil). Served as a meaty substitute at a barbecue, like it so often is, it can lack any real interest, save its characteristic squeaky saltiness. Halloumi can also tend to dry out when cooked. As a result, I think it is essential to serve halloumi alongside something full-tasting and unctuous; something that has a bit of moisture to it. Tomatoes and aubergine (eggplant), cooked with honey and paprika, make this dish just the ticket. Serve with pita or flatbreads to mop up the dish.

4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra to finish and serve 
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped 
1 x 400g (14oz) can of whole plum tomatoes or 400g (14oz) fresh tomatoes 
2 teaspoons ground cumin 
2 teaspoons sweet paprika (not smoked) 
1⁄2 teaspoon chilli flakes 
1 teaspoon salt, plus extra to season 
1 tablespoon runny honey 
2 large aubergines (eggplants), peeled and finely diced 
2 x 400g (14oz) cans of butter (lima) beans, drained and rinsed 
Zest and juice of 1⁄2 unwaxed lemon 
Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped, plus extra to serve 
450g (1lb) halloumi, cut into 1cm (1⁄2in) slices 
Pita or flatbreads
Freshly ground black pepper, to serve 

Put three tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over a moderate heat. Add the garlic and fry for about 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes, spices, salt and honey, and cook for two minutes until starting to thicken.

Add the aubergine (eggplant) and 200ml (7oz) of water and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat slightly to bring the liquid to a simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is lovely and thick, and the aubergine is soft and cooked through. Add a splash of water if it dries out before the aubergine is cooked. Check the seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as necessary.

Stir through the butter (lima) beans and cook for two minutes more for the flavours to mingle. Remove from the heat and add the lemon zest and juice and the parsley. Mix together, then put to one side to keep warm.

Put the remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan over a moderate heat. Add the halloumi and cook each side for about one to two minutes until golden and crisp.

To serve, add the aubergine and butter beans to a wide serving dish and top with the fried halloumi. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with warm pita breads.

(Sam Folan)

Tomato and brie toast with honey and walnuts

Cheese on toast; tomatoes too. A predictably delicious combination. It’s the sort of simple recipe that gives cookbooks bad press. Easy to assemble, this cheese on toast is unforgettable and more than worthy of the name new kitchen basic.

4 slices of bread (sourdough or ciabatta is good here), toasted 
30g (1oz) unsalted butter 
250g (9oz) ripe brie cut into smaller pieces 
50g (13⁄4oz) shelled walnuts, roughly chopped 
1 tablespoon thyme leaves 
400g (14oz) ripe tomatoes, thickly sliced or diced as you like 
2 tablespoons runny honey 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Preheat the oven to 180C/fan/160C/350F/Gas 4. Butter the toasted slices of bread and place the slices on a baking sheet. Evenly distribute the brie, walnuts and half the thyme onto each slice of toast. Bake in the hot oven for two to three minutes, until the brie begins to melt a little and the walnuts start to toast.

Remove the toast from the oven and top with the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with the honey and the remaining thyme and serve immediately.

(Sam Folan)

Coconut, red onion and green chilli hoppers with two sambals

Coconut pancakes fried with an egg, called hoppers, are a Sri Lankan breakfast staple. Served with two sambals – one paste is fine and fresh; one feathery with coconut – this is a breakfast or brunch to master, and make again and again. Work quickly to shape the pancake, using a high-sided frying pan or a wok for a traditional lipped hopper. Rice flour is best, but you can get away with using plain (all-purpose) flour.

150g (5oz) rice flour or 100g (3½​oz) plain (all-purpose) flour 
200ml (7oz) warm water
1 teaspoon fast-action dried yeast 
11⁄2 teaspoons caster (super fine) sugar 
1⁄2 teaspoon salt, plus extra to season 
100g (3½​oz) desiccated (shredded) coconut 
200ml (7oz) boiling water 
1 red onion, peeled and very finely diced 
4 teaspoons chilli flakes
Juice of 1 lime 
2 teaspoons fish sauce (optional but pretty good) 
1-2 green chillies, finely chopped (remove the seeds if you want less heat) 
4 tablespoons finely chopped coriander (cilantro) or mint 
4 eggs
Vegetable oil 

First, make the batter. Mix the flour with the warm water, yeast, half a teaspoon of the sugar and the salt. Leave to one side for about 30 minutes to start to bubble.

Meanwhile, put the desiccated (shredded) coconut into a heatproof bowl and pour over the boiling water.

To make the first sambal, put half the red onion with three teaspoons of the chilli flakes in a pestle and mortar and pound (or give them a quick pulse in a food processor, if you prefer) to a coarse paste. Put the mixture in a bowl and mix with half the lime juice and the fish sauce (if using), and a big pinch of salt to season. Put into a serving dish and set aside.

To make the second sambal, mix half the soaked coconut with one teaspoon of sugar, one teaspoon of chilli flakes, another big pinch of salt, two tablespoons of the remaining diced red onion and the remaining lime juice. Put into a bowl and set aside.

When the batter is bubbly, mix in the remaining diced red onion, the green chilli, the remaining soaked coconut and the herbs. Break one egg into a cup and have it ready to add to the pancake.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over a moderate heat and rub with a thin film of oil. Pour a ladleful of the batter into the pan, tilting it so the batter begins to cook up the edges of the pan in a thin layer. Quickly add the egg into the centre of the pancake and cover with a lid. Leave to cook for about two to three minutes until the egg is just cooked and the edges of the pancake are starting to colour.

Run a flexible spatula or palette knife around the edges of the pan and slide the hopper onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and eggs. Serve immediately with generous helpings of the two sambals.

‘New Kitchen Basics’ by Claire Thomson (Quadrille, £25); photography by Sam Folan