Harissa chicken with honey carrot and haloumi salad

Here is an enigma for you - I don't like capsicum (bell peppers) but I love chilli and even like dips with roast capsicum. So when it comes to harissa, I love its bite without the bitterness of raw capsicum. Harissa is a Tunisian hot chilli paste and is incredibly versatile. 

Ingredients:

Chicken:

• 600g chicken, cubed
• 3 teaspoons harissa – heaped
• 3 teaspoons yoghurt – heaped
• 1 teaspoon lemon

Salad:

• 1 teaspoon harissa
• 2 teaspoons yoghurt
• ½ teaspoon honey
• ½ teaspoon lemon
• ½ cup quinoa, cooked and cooled
• ¾ cup brown rice, cooked and cooled
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 tomato
• 1 cup of stale bread, chopped into cubes (1cm) and baked with salt, pepper and olive oil (croutons)
• 150g haloumi

Honey carrots:

• 1 carrot
• ½ teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon butter
• Pinch salt

Method:

Chicken:

• Combine the yoghurt, harissa, lemon and pour over the chicken
• Let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes
• Grill the chicken on high until cooked through – around 4 minutes per side

Carrots:

• Peel carrots and cut into 1cm match sticks
• Boil until tender
• Drain and mix in honey, butter and salt 

Salad

• To make the dressing, mix the harissa, yoghurt, honey and lemon together. Put aside
• Mix the quinoa and brown rice together 
• Add the tomato, baby spinach and honey carrots (cooled) to the quinoa and brown rice mixture
• Cut the haloumi into 0.5 cm slices and grill until it starts to brown
• Serve the salad topped with the haloumi, chicken, dressing and croutons.

This dish is spicy, sweet and salty - all the best things. 

Fun farewell yoghurt fact... "Ancient people called yoghurt the food of the gods."

Source: IFT website