California chef shares favorite childhood recipe from new cookbook offering taste of home

Celebrity chef and restaurateur Michael Mina wanted to share his fond memories of the Egyptian food he grew up eating with others.

That's the idea behind his new cookbook, "My Egypt: Cooking from My Roots," just published on Tuesday.

"I didn't set this up to be a book to say I'm the authority on Egypt. Because I'm not," the Cairo-born Mina told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview from his California home. (See the video at the top of this article.)

"I set it up exactly the opposite," he said. 

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"I set it up to say this has kind of been my journey, and I'm really enjoying this in the later part of my career, cooking this food."

Mina is founder of the Mina Group, which includes his namesake restaurant in Las Vegas — and shared his Halloumi and watermelon salad recipe with Fox News Digital. "It's not a dish that you're going to go find if you're in Egypt," he said. 

Fox News Digital spoke with Chef Michael Mina, shown above right, about his Halloumi and watermelon salad recipe. His new cookbook has just been published.  (John Lee; Fox News Digital)

Rather, Mina said, it's a dish "based off the products."

It also reminds him of his childhood, when he would make a salad of Halloumi (a semi-hard white cheese) and watermelon that he shared with his father.

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"It was something that my dad would eat all the time," he said.

Halloumi and watermelon salad recipe from 'My Egypt: Cooking from My Roots'

"Watermelon and feta salads are classics in Greece, and this salad borrows from Egypt's Mediterranean neighbors to the north, spiked with a little Urfa pepper for heat," Mina says in his book. 

"The key in this salad is ensuring that each bite has a little of everything, so cut the Halloumi and watermelon into bite-sized pieces," he also says. 

"If you have a FoodSaver or other vacuum sealer, consider compressing the watermelon pieces in a bag with the juice and zest from an additional lime for a more intense flavor and texture. You can mix the Halloumi with the oil and lime juice while prepping the rest of the ingredients."

This Halloumi and watermelon salad is featured in chef Michael Mina's new cookbook, "My Egypt: Cooking from My Roots." (John Lee)

Active time: 25 minutes

Equipment (optional): See note above about the vacuum sealer. A mandoline, if you have one, makes easy work of shaving and slicing vegetables.

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Serves 4

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil juice and finely grated zest of 1 lime

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more if desired

3-4 oz. Halloumi, cut into bite-sized (¾-inch) pieces

2 cups watermelon cut into bite-sized pieces (about ¼ mini seedless watermelon)

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced

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1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds 

3 small red radishes, tops and ends trimmed and sliced paper-thin

A few small purple basil or mint leaves, torn if larger than the watermelon pieces

¼-cup toasted pistachios, coarsely chopped

Pinches of Urfa or Aleppo pepper

Halloumi cheese and seedless watermelon slices are key ingredients of Michael Mina's Halloumi and watermelon salad recipe. (iStock)

Directions

1. In a salad bowl, mix together the oil, lime juice and zest, and salt. 

2. Add the Halloumi and mix to coat in the vinaigrette. (You can do this while prepping the other ingredients.) 

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3. Add the watermelon, celery, cucumber, radishes and basil, and taste, adding more salt if desired. 

4. Sprinkle the pistachios on top and garnish with a few pinches of Urfa pepper.

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This recipe is owned by Michael Mina and was shared with Fox News Digital.

"My Egypt: Cooking from My Roots," copyright © 2024 Michael Mina, used with permission from Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Co.