Ah halloumi, that lovely squeeky, cheeky cheese! Very nice grilled or fried, but i’d always wanted to try to make my own. In this video I try 2 VERY different methods, both in time, cost and final taste. It was a really fun experiment and I hope you get inspired to try it and i’ve decided to just suggest the microwave method here as I personally preferred it, but what I love is that compared to store bought you can make this a whole lot less salty and it tastes super fresh!
First up grab yourself a large saucepan and combine together the 2 milks. Warm this on a hob up to 32c-34c. Meanwhile put the junket tablet in a small glass with some 2tbsp of water and dissolve it. Leave to one side.
Once the milk has warmed to the required temperature, remove from the heat and add the dissolved tablet. Stir it 30 times in an up and down motion then leave it to stand for 45 minutes. The curds and whey will separate during this time so do not disturb it. After the 30 minutes cut the top of the curd with a knife in strips into cubes and then pour the whole mixture including the whey into a large microwave proof bowl.
Add in the mint and a couple of tbsp salt and stir through. Place in the microwave for 6 minutes (my microwave was 800w, so you may only need to do it for 4-5)… do this in 2 minute bursts. After the final one the curds should be fairly prominent. Pour this mixture through a sieve into another bowl. You’ll be left with lovely salted, minty curds.
Press this into a mould via a cheesecloth and push out as much moisture as you can, weighing it down if you want to. But a good few squeezes with your hand will certainly help. Push into a container to shape it and then place in the freezer for 20 minutes to cool it down and firm up. Slice and serve immediately or alternatively cover it in brine completely in a larger tub and leave it in the fridge.
The brine is made by mixing the 3 ingredients together in a jug, that’s it!
It is best served chilled to be honest, but fries really well.
Good luck!