Carlin Pea and Glazed Halloumi Saag is a modern British recipe for a classic curry of carlin peas and spinach in a spiced tomato and coconut milk based served topped with halloumi cheese with a mango chutney glaze. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Carlin Pea and Glazed Halloumi Saag.
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Greens are the heart of a saag and these can be mustard greens, collard greens, Swiss chard, basella or finely chopped broccoli. Here spinach is used so as not to distract from the flavour of the carlin peas.
Ingredients:
250g dried carlin peas
2 tbsp coconut oil or neutral-flavoured oil, such as sunflower, rapeseed or vegetable
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 onion, roughly sliced
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp curry powder (mild or medium, I used Madras)
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp tomato purée
200g spinach, washed and shredded
300ml coconut milk
250g block of halloumi cheese, sliced into 2cm cubes
1 tbsp (heaped) mango chutney
Nigella seeds, to garnish (optional)
Greek-style yoghurt, for serving
Method:
If you’re starting from dried carlin peas, soak them in a large bowl of water over night, then rinse and simmer them in plenty of water for about 40 to 45 minutes until tender. Drain the peas but reserve 150ml of the cooking liquid for this recipe.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the cumin and fennel seeds and cook for 2 minutes more, until fragrant and sizzling. Now add in the onion with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, or until the onion has softened. Add a splash of water if they start to stick.
Now add the garlic and cook for a further minute until fragrant. At this point add the turmeric, curry powder, ginger and tomato purée along with a splash of water. Stir the ingredients together to form a paste. Fry the mixture for 1–2 minutes, until it darkens in colour.
Pour in the drained carlin peas along with their reserved bean stock, coconut milk and spinach. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until the mixture thickens slightly. Taste the gravy and adjust the seasoning with salt.
Transfer 2 ladlefuls of the mixture to a blender or food processor and blitz into a purée. Stir this green purée back into the pan. If it’s looking a little thick, add some of the remaining coconut milk or a little water to loosen. Check for seasoning ⤔ bearing in mind the halloumi is salty ⤔ then reduce to a low simmer.
While the main curry is simmering, combine the diced halloumi and mango chutney in a small bowl and toss to coat (I usually warm the mango chutney in the microwave beforehand). Set a non-stick pan over medium heat and when hot use to cook the halloumi until golden all over, turning regularly (about 3-4 minutes). Add a splash of oil or water if it gets a little sticky.
Once the curry has attained a creamy consistency, divide between four warmed serving bowls. Top with some yoghurt and scatter over the halloumi chunks. Finish with a sprinkle of nigella seeds. D
Serve with warm naan breads for dipping in the curry gravy.
