How to Make Halloumi Cheese in Your Thermomix

I have a confession to make. I’m not much a cheese person. I don’t know my Gouda from my manchego, but halloumi. I know halloumi – and it’s this delicious, squeaky cheese where my heart is at. It’s also where my wallet is at. Gulp.

Alas, I have found a way around dropping serious coin on cheese every week, without omitting halloumi cheese from the diet. The answer is in my Thermomix. Even better, I need only THREE basic ingredients.

It’s important to note, that this tweaked Thermomix Recipe Community recipe does take a bit of time from start to finish. But trust me, it’s totally worth the time investment.

Thermomix Halloumi Cheese Recipe

Time: 3 hours / Makes: approximately 300g of halloumi cheese

Ingredients

2L full fat milk
1½ Junket tablets, crushed (find them at Woolworths)
40g salt

You’ll also need your Thermomix bowl rice basket, a ThermoServer and a milk bag (or piece of muslin or new Chux cloth) to drain the cheese.

Method

1. Tip all of the milk into the Thermomix bowl and heat at 37°/10 minutes/ speed 1. In a small bowl, mix the junket tablets with one tablespoon of water. Add it to the milk and mix 1 minute / speed 1.

2. Pour the milk into the ThermoServer and let it sit for an hour.

3. After an hour, cut through the curd in 2cm strips both vertically and horizontally. Let them sit for a further 10 minutes. Tip the curds and whey from the ThermoServer back into the Thermomix bowl. Heat at 37°/30 minutes/ stirring speed.

4. Line the rice basket with the milk bag (or your piece of muslin or Chux). Pour the curds and whey into the rice basket over the ThermoServer. You will need to keep the whey for later so don’t throw it out!

5. Cover the curds with your milk bag (or muslin or Chux) and place a heavy weight on top. You will need to sit the rice basket in a place where the whey can drain away while being pressed. Leave for 30 minutes, then turn it out of the rice basket.

6. Cut the curds into thick finger slices/ pieces (how you cut it will be the final shape of your halloumi). Pour the whey back into the Thermomix bowl. Heat at 90°/5 minutes/ speed 1.

7. Put the rice basket back into the Thermomix bowl and gently put the pieces of halloumi back into the rice basket. Heat at 90°/25 minutes/ stirring speed. You’ll know when it’s ready, the cheese will rise to the top!

8. Tip out all but 250g of the whey liquid. Add 250g of boiling water and 50g of salt to the whey in the Thermomix bowl. Cook at 100°/5 minutes/ speed 1.

9. Once cooled, pour the brine over the halloumi into a clean, airtight container.

Note: The brine is VERY salty. It’s a preserving agent and is what will keep your halloumi fresh in the fridge for up to two weeks. Rinse and pat dry with a paper towel before cooking if you prefer.