Fried Cheese and Chickpeas in Spicy Tomato Gravy

By Hetty Lui McKinnon

Updated Oct. 11, 2023

Fried Cheese and Chickpeas in Spicy Tomato Gravy — James Ransom for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Total Time: 30 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Rating: 4(893)
Notes: Read community notes

Fried cheese becomes a main meal in this pantry-reliant dish. Make it with your choice of ‘fry-able’ cheese, one with a high melting point that retains its shape after cooking. Halloumi and paneer are excellent choices, but queso blanco and queso de freir are often less expensive, but just as delicious. (Note: Halloumi is saltier than most frying cheeses so use less salt.) The trick to frying cheese without it sticking is to use a hot skillet, but if you’re not confident, opt for non-stick. This dish can easily be adapted for vegans by substituting the cheese with extra-firm tofu.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

Extra virgin olive oil or ghee
10ounces frying cheese (such as queso de freir, queso blanco, halloumi or paneer), cut into ¼ inch slices and patted dry
1yellow onion, thinly sliced
4garlic cloves, finely chopped
1teaspoon ground cayenne
1teaspoon ground turmeric
1teaspoon ground ginger
1teaspoon ground cumin
1cinnamon stick or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1teaspoon kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal (use ½ teaspoon if using halloumi)
½teaspoon granulated sugar
1(28-ounce) can diced, puréed or crushed tomatoes
1(15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
Handful of cilantro leaves
Flatbread or rice, to serve

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat a large (12-inch skillet) on medium-high until very hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil or ghee and swirl it around to coat the base. Add the cheese and fry until golden, 1 to 1½ minutes. Flip and cook the other side. Transfer the cooked cheese to a plate and set aside.
Step 2
Place the same pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil or ghee, along with the onions and stir until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, cayenne, turmeric, ginger, cumin and cinnamon and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the salt, sugar, tomatoes and chickpeas and stir well to combine.
Step 3
Cover and cook on medium, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat as necessary, until the tomatoes have thickened up, 8 to 10 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if required.
Step 4
Place the cheese on top of the sauce, and cook just until warmed through, 2 minutes.
Step 5
To serve, top with cilantro and serve with flatbread or rice.

Ratings

4 out of 5

893 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

szellner1 year ago

Has anyone made this? In the recipe the ingredients list includes 1 teaspoon of cayenne powder and no chili powder. In Step 2 of the Preparation it says to add the chili powder and there is no mention of cayenne. Is the recipe meant to have 1 or the other? Cayenne and chili powder provide very different flavors.

JC.1 year ago

Cayenne is a type of chili pepper and cayenne powder can also be called chili powder and should not be confused with "Chili Powder" which is the blend of spices, that include cumin and cayenne, used to make Chili or for other recipes...

ngh1 year ago

Made exactly as written (well, except I cut it in half since I was just cooking for myself) with halloumi. I went with chili powder; not a very spicy person. Thought it was delicious and this will likely be in a regular dinner rotation since it was so quick and easy to pull together. Will probably heat the leftovers up in the morning and put a fried or poached egg on top for breakfast.

Nancy J.1 year ago

To jamlash: If you replace cheese with tofu you definitely want to cut the cayenne down a bit. The fat content of cheese mellows the heat considerably.

Joe1 year ago

Just made this with tofu. As written it's halfway between shakshuka and spicy dal. One tsp of Indian hot powdered chile is not enough. I should have put in at least one chopped long green finger hot as well. The other seasonings aren't enough, either. Use a large chunk of fresh ginger. Add a teaspoon of crushed coriander seed and 1 tsp mustard seed with the main spices. Add 1 tsp of garam masala and 1/2 tsp green mango powder at the end. Leave out the sugar.

Todd1 year ago

Please rename this “exploding cheese of death.” Other than that, delicious!

Gill G1 year ago

Excellent store cupboard supper! Made a couple of swaps: esplette chili instead of the cayenne, fresh ginger for the powder, added some harissa paste as I had a jar in the pantry, and zucchini in with the onion to bulk up the vegetable content. Squeeze of lemon, handful of chopped parsley, served it on rice, with a dollop of Greek yogurt. Verdict: very good.

jamlash1 year ago

and probably add another can of garbanzos (the ratio seemed off). We fried the extra firm tofu instead of halloumi and that was awesome. But still too spicy using the amounts listed.

Name Laurie Comstock1 year ago

I used cayenne because it made more sense to me. Plenty spicy but not overwhelming. That said, we both like spicy.

Anya1 year ago

Added diced carrots and chopped kale to the tomato-sauce base. A pinch of red-pepper flakes for a tiny kick. Unclear about the chili? Hard to go wrong though -/Also made a quick cucumber-lime raita. Perfect veg. supper & easy/quick!

Dan1 year ago

I believe the chili is referencing the cayenne.

Joan Borgman1 year ago

the recipes makes that suggestion for vegans

Carrie1 year ago

Simple and easy, but the full teaspoon of cayenne seemed to overwhelm all the other flavors- I will cut it back to 1/2 tsp next time. I added a few handfuls of fresh spinach at the end for a bit more color and served over rice with a dollop of plain yogurt.

Kristine1 year ago

A 15-oz can of chickpeas is nowhere near that amount of calories. Mine is 420 for whole can.

Tim1 year ago

A quick, simple and tasty meal. We cooked both halloumi and paneer, and both worked well!

Tina5 days ago

We add 2 cans of chickpeas, there’s plenty of sauce for it!

less cayenne with friends (1/2 t)1 week ago

also ideally diced tomatoes

herman1 week ago

The cheeses shown are mostly unavailable anywhere near me ...many of the recipes in this Times section have ingredients that do not appear in most local supermarkets I await the recipe that includes frog's legs or rattlesnake

Marina3 weeks ago

Cut this recipe in half for two and it was perfect. Served with rice. Excellent flavours and enough cheese to suit.

EBouvie4 weeks ago

This is a new staple in our house! I doubled the chickpeas as many suggested and subbed harissa paste for the cayenne. It's super tasty and makes for really great leftovers too.

Ben1 month ago

I actually thought I misread the recipe and quadrupled the cayenne pepper by mistake. No, I added one teaspoon of cayenne. If I make it again I think I’ll reduce the cayenne so I can taste the other flavours. To anyone contemplating cooking this dish: my recommendation is to only use 1/4 tsp of cayenne and then add more if you want more heat.

The Pharmer’s Table1 month ago

Made this with extra firm tofu and fire roasted diced tomatoes, very good! A little lemon or lime juice when serving really brightens it up.

Mand1 month ago

My SIL rated this as the second greatest meal he’s ever eaten.

Mike Severin1 month ago

I used tofu! Another great dish!

Jens1 month ago

Made as written with 2 cans of chickpeas, served over roasted cauliflower which I can highly recommend. Like others mentioned, it benefits from stewing a bit if you have the time. Fried Halloumi as last step.

savannah g.1 month ago

I added some sauteed eggplant and topped with garam masala and plain Greek yogurt. Fabulous!

SKB1 month ago

Really good! Made with both halloumi AND tofu slices (fried separately but put in together at the end), to satisfy both cheese- and non-cheese eaters in the house. Used freshly grated ginger and upped the spices, adding coriander powder and garam masala powder. Didn’t have cilantro so used green onions as topping instead. Served over basmati rice. Family loved it.

DH1 month ago

Whoa this was good! The only change I made was to sub 1t Harissa for 1/2t cayenne, and added about 1/2 cup coconut milk to the sauce. Simmered longer than suggested, waiting for my son to get home. That really helped the flavors to meld. Wilted in a bunch of spinach at the end. Waited to fry the halloumi at the end of cooking.

Bex2 months ago

A routine dinner at our house now!

BAW3 months ago

I feel like the tomato to garbanzo ratio was too much. If I made it again I would either reduce the tomatoes to a 15 oz can or double the garbanzos. The spice combo was good. I used fresh ginger. I also added spinach to get Somme veggies in there.

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