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Piyaz
Antalya piyazı: white beans in a thick tahini and lemon dressing
Antalya does piyaz its own way. Elsewhere in Turkey the bean salad is dressed with oil and vinegar, but on the Mediterranean coast the beans are folded through a pale, nutty sauce of tahini, lemon and vinegar, then crowned with sumac onions, tomato and parsley. Lunch canteens in the old town serve it on the side of almost everything, and at home it is a filling lunch with bread or a cool side on a hot evening. Tinned beans make it a fifteen-minute dish. Chef's tip: when the lemon hits the tahini it will seize into a stiff, grainy paste; don't panic, just keep beating in cold water a spoonful at a time and it turns silky.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the beans and onions
For the tahini dressing
To finish
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 1 red onion in a small bowl with 1 tsp sumac and ¼ tsp salt. Rub the slices between your fingers for a minute until they turn pinky-purple and go slightly limp, then set aside. This takes the harsh bite out of raw onion.
2 minStep 2: Tip 1 lb tinned white beans into a sieve and rinse under warm running water until the water runs clear and there is no foam. Shake well to drain; beans that are slightly warm soak up the dressing much better than fridge-cold ones.
2 minStep 3: In a large bowl stir 4 tbsp tahini with 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar and 1 garlic clove. Within seconds it will thicken and look curdled. That is normal.
Step 4: Beat in 4 tbsp cold water one spoonful at a time until the dressing is pale beige, smooth and pours like double cream. Season with the rest of ¾ tsp salt. A common mistake is to pour in all the water at once: the sauce goes thin and never coats the beans.
3 minStep 5: Fold the beans gently into the dressing with a spatula so they stay whole. Taste: it should be sharp and nutty, so add a squeeze more lemon if it tastes flat.
Step 6: Spoon onto a wide platter. Scatter over the sumac onions, 2 tomatoes and 1 oz flat-leaf parsley. Stir 1 tsp Aleppo pepper (pul biber) into 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and drizzle it over the top, and add 8 black olives if you like. Serve at room temperature within an hour or two.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 10 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does piyaz take?
- About 15 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of red onion?
- White onion or shallots, same amount (soak raw onion in cold water for 10 minutes to soften it).
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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