This is a delicious recipe with dry beans called Piyaz. Piyaz is a great companion especially for meatballs and fish dishes. However, feel free to make this refreshening salad your lunch just by itself.
I did mention about meatballs, but there is no reason for vegans to enjoy this salad just excluding the eggs and siding another tasty dish such as Vegan Red Lentil Balls.
This salad is easy to prepare and although the ingredients are common, it has a surprisingly different flavor. It is very common in Turkey. There are restaurants that exclusively sell meatballs and Piyaz.
Beans and eggs need to be prepared first.
What type of bean should I use?
This salad is generally made with white beans, cannellini beans would be the best choice as the cannelloni beans are larger and meatier than others and they tend keep their shape well. However any type of white bean will do, so if you only have navy beans or baby lima beans in your pantry, you can still make this recipe.
You are also free to go ahead and use canned beans, just make sure to rinse them before using to get rid of the excess saltiness. However it is not really a big deal to soak some beans in water overnight. Just rinse the next day and add fresh water and boil. If you have a pressure cooker it will take less than 20 minutes. Keep the beans in the water they have boiled in until the water is cool, drain only then.
Once your beans are boiled transfer the beans into a serving bowl and soak in vinegar for about half an hour. Drain the excess vinegar before mixing the beans with the other ingredients.
How long do you boil an egg?
For this recipe you will need two hard boiled eggs. Place the eggs in a tall, small saucepan. Cover with tap water. Bring the water to boil over medium-high heat. If the heat is two high the eggs might hit each other and crack. Once the water starts to boil, check the time and let boil for about 8 minutes. Keep in a bowl of cold water for 5-6 seconds or rinse with flowing tab water to peel easier.
Piyaz Ingredients
- Beans – all details already above
- Eggs – 1 or 2
- Onion – red or white
- Vinegar – apple or lemon
- Olive oil – extra virgin
- Pepper – green or red
- Parsley – fresh and chopped
- Black olives – leave out if you do not like them
You do not need to prepare the dressing seperately. When the beans and the eggs are ready, just mix all the salad and dressing ingredients until well combined. Garnish with quartered eggs, olives and some more chopped parsley.
This salad cannot be made the day before or does not keep long because of the onions. It is best to prepare an hour before serving giving it time to chill and soak up all the flavors.
Enjoy!
Dry Bean Salad / Piyaz
Ingredients
Salad
- 250 gram dry beans
- 100 millilitres vinegar grape, apple or similar
- 1 onion large
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 1 tomato chopped, optional
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons vinegar to taste
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 pinch salt to taste
- 1 pinch sumac
- 3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Garnish
- 2 eggs well done, peeled, quartered
- 4 stalks parsley chopped
- 4 black olives
Instructions
Salad
- You can make this with canned beans. If you choose to do so. Rinse the beans under flowing water, drain.
- If you choose to use dry beans then soak them the night before to shorten the cooking time. If you choose not to it will still cook but will take longer. Cover with water and boil until edible. Drain the water when the water is luke warm.
- No matter which beans you are using, pour the beans in a bowl and cover with vinegar and set aside for about half an hour.
- Slice the onion. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and crush and mix with your hands. The onion slices will become softer and bendable.
- Take out the seeds and chop the pepper. If you choose to add a tomato, chop it too to similar sizes.
Dressing
- Drain the beans if there is excess vinegar left.
- Mix with the onions. Do not wash the onions or they will become too soft and soggy.
- Add also the chopped parsley, olive oil, red pepper flakes and black pepper.
- Mix gently, untill all is combined.
- Taste add additional vinegar and/or salt to your taste, if necessary. Mix again.
Garnish
- Peel and cut the eggs to vertical quarters and place on the salad.
- As a final touch place the black olives on the salad as well.
- Serve cold.