PB THAI NOODLES & CRISPY HALLOUMI

Have you heard of or ever tried Halloumi cheese before?! I had seen it all over the place and was super curious to try it. I’ve seen the best way to enjoy it is grilled or fried so it gets all crispy on the edges. It just looks so interesting, totally looks like tofu but the flavor profile is so unique and fun! It’s texture is harder than tofu and has a very mild flavor.

This recipe popped up on Half Baked Harvest and paired with the delicious peanut butter thai noodles and fresh herbs, it was a MUST try.

Ollie absolutely loves peanut butter noodles and these days I’m not just cooking for me, myself, and I. I love a recipe that can work for the whole family with minimal substitutions or changes and this is just that. I also wanted Ollie to try the Halloumi as a new food option and something a little more unique than his normal food palette.

Side note- he was not a fan of the cheese at all, ha!

But Ollie LOVES tofu, especially when it’s covered in peanut butter and fried in coconut oil.

Maybe I should try that with his Halloumi next time.

You win some you lose some with toddlers, am I right?!

As mentioned, the halloumi cheese is fried in sesame oil to really add another layer of flavor. A fantastic garlic chili oil is marinated and crisped in the same sesame oil cheese pan and then it’s drizzled on top as a garnish. The peanut butter noodles are sauced heavily with peanut butter (duh!), red curry paste, a mixture of fresh ginger and honey for a little added sweetness.

Fresh herbs are plentiful here with cilantro, basil, and green onions tossed with the crispy halloumi once it’s fried. And to top it all off in the end, as if you needed any more flavors, chopped peanuts and sesame seeds are sprinkled and a lime wedge placed on the side for squeezing.

FLAVOR FLAVOR FLAVOR!

And one of the most interesting things is the long shredded carrots mixed in with the cooked thai noodles. I love that there is an added veggie that’s thin and softened. I really loved this for Ollie as he ate it perfectly with the peanut butter noodles even though we told him the carrots were in there. Think of them as super thinly shaved carrot noodles!

PEANUT BUTTER THAI NOODLES & CRISPY HALLOUMI

Print Recipe

Course Main Course

Ingredients

• 8 OZ RICE NOODLES
• 1/4 CUP RED THAI CURRY PASTE
• 1/2 CUP CREAMY PEANUT BUTTER WE LOVE KIRKLAND ORGANIC BRAND
• 1/3 CUP SOY SAUCE REDUCED SODIUM
• 2 TABLESPOONS HONEY
• 1 TABLESPOON FRESH GINGER MINCED OR GRATED
• 2 CARROTS THINLY SHREDDED
• 1 TABLESPOON SESAME OIL
• 1/4 CUP SESAME OIL
• 8 OZ HALLOUMI CHEESE CUBED AND DRIED
• PINCH OF RED PEPPER FLAKES
• 6 CLOVES GARLIC CHOPPED FINELY
• 1/2 CUP CILANTRO CHOPPED
• 2 TABLESPOONS GREEN ONIONS SLICED THINLY
• 1/2 CUP BASIL CHOPPED
• 2 TABLESPOONS FRESH LIME JUICE
• 3 TABLESPOONS PEANUTS CHOPPED
• 3 TABLESPOONS SESAME SEEDS

Instructions

• BOIL SALTED WATER FOR THE NOODLES, COOK FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS ON THE PACKAGE.
• DRAIN NOODLES IN A COLANDER AND TOSS WITH SHREDDED CARROTS (AND OPTIONAL THINLY SLICED RED PEPPERS) WHILE NOODLES ARE SITLL HOT AND SLIGHTLY WET.
• MAKE THE SAUCE IN A BLENDER OR FOOD PROCESSOR WHILE NOODLES ARE COOKING; COMBINE CURRY PASTE, PEANUT BUTTER, SOY SAUCE, HONEY, FRESH GINGER AND 1/3 CUP WATER AND BLEND UNTIL SMOOTH. POUR OVER NOODLES AND CARROTS WHILE STIL HOT AND MIX UNTIL COMPLETELY COMBINED.
• IN A LARGE SKILLET, HEAT 1 TABLESPOON SESAME OIL, TOSS IN THE CUBED HALLOUMI AND "FRY" UNTIL GOLDEN BROWN, TOSSING THROUGHOUT FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES. PLACE ON A PAPER TOWEL AND SET ASIDE.
• IN THE SAME LARGE SKILLET, POUR IN 1/4 CUP SESAME OIL, CHOPPED GARLIC, AND A PINCH OF RED PEPPER FLAKES AND TOSS TOGETHER. HEAT OVER MEDIUM HEAT, MIXING REGULARLY UNTIL GARLIC BECOMES CRISPY BUT NOT BURNED OR BLACKENED.
• TOSS THE FRIED HALLOUMI WITH 1/2 OF THE CHILI OIL, HERBS, LIME JUICE, PEANUTS, AND SESAME SEEDS.
• PLATE CREAMY NOODLES, HALLOUMI MIXED WITH HERBS, AND DRIZZLE WITH EXTRA CHILI OIL FOR ADDED FLAVOR AND SPICE LEVEL!

Notes

AUTHOR: HALF BAKED HARVEST

OPTIONAL: ADD IN 1-2 THINLY SLICED RED PEPPERS WITH THE NOODLES AND CARROTS

Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think!