Antalya’s Famous Beans Salad: Piyaz

Piyaz is a famous accompanying dish (even a main!) in Turkey but Antalya has a distinct version, we use tahini in the sauce. For us, Antalians, a piyaz without tahini is just a bean salad.

People who have lived in Antalya, especially those who have spent their childhood there, usually miss it a lot when living away. The warmth, the sun, the sea, the pebbly beach, … So everthing related to Antalya becomes a bit too important. Like piyaz… You get annoyed when others refer to a plain bean salad as piyaz.

Piyaz is usually served with şiş köfte, simple meatballs made of male goats’ meat and served with cumin and parsley. As it is almost impossible to find that meat, I use lamb meat. But you don’t have to serve with meat, it is quite fulfilling as it is! And vegeterian. If you serve without eggs, it is also vegan.

Now to the preparation:

The night before soak small white beans in cold water and leave until cooking time. Replace the water and boil the beans (preferably in a pressure cooker) until done. Duration really depends on the beans, soaking time and pressure cooker/regular cooker. Do not discard the cooking water, you will need it.

By the way, you can also use canned beans!

Mix the tahini with cooking water (if using canned beans, use water only), vinegar, garlic and salt to make a liquid sauce. Take a spoonful (if using canned beans, use two spoons) of cooked beans, crush them well with a fork, and mix in the sauce. It will still be liquid-ish, but a bit heavier. If needed add a bit more…

Dice the tomatoes, julien the onions, roughly chop some parsley, and slice the hard boiled egg. Aannnd assemble.

Serve with meatballs or as a main dish.