Obviously, this is a biased opinion... this Turkish bean salad called Piyaz is super simple, refreshing, and quick! The holy trinity of cooking.
This is traditionally used in Turkish cooking with white kidney beans but, if you have red, garbanzo, or another bean in your pantry it works with that too. You are the bean master.
My grandmother and my mother have their own variations of this recipe. While the recipes are very similar, the bickering about whose recipe is better never ceases. It just shows how you can adapt traditional cooking to your own style and show your personality. Isn't that the essence of cooking? I'll share both variations here and let you be the judge.
My grandmothers:
- 1 can of white kidney beans
- red wine vinegar
- parsley
- 1/3 white onion
- olive oil
Drain and rinse your beans and add to a bowl. Cut the white onion into thin half half-moon shapes (not required but my grandma will not eat onions unless they are in half-moon shapes... I do not know why). Chop a large handful of parsley and add it to the beans. Add about 1/3 cup of red wine vinegar, maybe more - you want a sharp fresh taste. Add olive oil, salt, pepper to taste. Serve cold.
My mothers:
- 1 can of white kidney beans
- 1 lemon
- parsley
- cilantro
- 1/3 white onion
- olive oil
Directions are the same as my grandma's except, zest whole lemon and add all of its juice in place of red wine vinegar. Chop up a small handful of cilantro and add it in.
That's it. And don't underestimate this salad, just try it.
I won't disclose whose I like better because I do not want to get in the middle of the family bean war but I'll let you choose.
This is a great side dish or tapas option and looks beautiful in its simplicity. Adapt and make this Piyaz your own and tell me what you added. (I obviously add garlic)
Let the bean games commence!
yours truly,
garlic girl