Turkey · Antalya

Antalya piyazı

Prepare Antalya piyazı with tender white beans, tahini tarator, tomato, onion, parsley and boiled eggs—the region's substantial main-dish piyaz.

Traditional Turkish recipe Main course / bean dish
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Antalya piyazı with white beans, tahini tarator, tomato, onion, parsley and egg
Antalya piyazı with white beans, tahini tarator, tomato, onion, parsley and egg
Prep 30 minutes
Cook 1 hour 15 minutes
Total 9 hour 45 minutes
Serves 6
Ingredients ↓
Overview

About Antalya piyazı

Antalya piyazı differs from the sharp onion-and-bean salads found elsewhere in Turkey. Its defining feature is tarator: tahini loosened with vinegar, lemon, garlic and some of the bean cooking liquid. The creamy dressing coats warm white beans, then tomato, onion, parsley and hard-boiled eggs make the dish substantial enough to serve as a main course.

The protected version is associated with small local Çandır beans, but any thin-skinned small white bean can work. Cook the beans gently so they are creamy inside yet remain whole, and reserve their liquid before draining. Tahini can seize when acid is added; this is normal and is corrected by whisking in warm bean liquid gradually.

A dependable Antalya piyazı begins before the heat is switched on. Measure 400 g dried small white beans, 2 L water, 10 g fine sea salt, 150 g tahini, 60 ml grape or apple vinegar, and 30 ml lemon juice and keep the remaining ingredients grouped in the order in which they enter the recipe. Have Large bowl, Heavy saucepan, and Whisk ready as well. The planned sequence is Cook the beans and eggs, Make the tarator, and Assemble. This mise en place protects the stated 6-serving yield and prevents a temperature-sensitive or fast-moving stage from being interrupted while an ingredient is still being weighed.

Use the clock as a planning guide, not as the only test of progress: allow 30 minutes of preparation, 1 hour 15 minutes of cooking, and 9 hours 45 minutes overall. During Make the tarator, Combine tahini, vinegar, lemon, garlic and salt; it will thicken and pale. The useful observation is specific: A stiff, grainy-looking phase is expected. At the finish, Drizzle with olive oil and dust with pul biber. Serve at room temperature. Do not serve merely because the nominal time has elapsed; wait until the flavour should be nutty, tangy and garlicky, not harsh.

Practical

Practical

  • Bean textureA hard boil breaks skins; keep the pot at a quiet simmer.
  • Tarator balanceDifferent tahini absorbs different amounts of liquid, so judge consistency rather than chasing an exact volume.
  • Make-aheadBeans and tarator can be made a day ahead but assemble with tomatoes and eggs shortly before serving.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Beans

  • 400 g dried small white beans
  • 2 L water plus more for soaking
  • 10 g fine sea salt

Tahini tarator

  • 150 g tahini
  • 60 ml grape or apple vinegar
  • 30 ml lemon juice
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • 120–180 ml warm bean cooking liquid
  • 4 g fine sea salt

To assemble

  • 4 eggs
  • 3 ripe tomatoes cut into wedges
  • 1 red onion thinly sliced
  • 20 g flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped
  • 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 g pul biber
Directions

Directions

Cook the beans and eggs

  1. Soak overnightCover beans with plenty of cool water and soak 8–12 hours; drain and rinse.

    The beans should look plump and evenly hydrated.

  2. Simmer gentlyCover with fresh water, bring just to a boil and simmer 50–75 minutes. Salt during the final 15 minutes.

    A bean should be creamy throughout but still keep its skin.

  3. Reserve liquid and drainSave 250 ml cooking liquid, then drain the beans and keep them warm.

    Do not rinse away the surface starch.

  4. Boil the eggsSimmer eggs for 9 minutes, chill, peel and quarter.

    The yolks should be set but not grey-ringed.

Make the tarator

  1. Whisk tahini and acidCombine tahini, vinegar, lemon, garlic and salt; it will thicken and pale.

    A stiff, grainy-looking phase is expected.

  2. Loosen graduallyWhisk in warm bean liquid a spoonful at a time until the sauce flows slowly from the whisk.

    It should coat a bean without forming a heavy paste.

Assemble

  1. Dress the warm beansFold about two-thirds of the tarator through the beans and rest 10 minutes.

    The dressing should settle into a creamy coating.

  2. Build the platterArrange dressed beans, tomato, onion, parsley and eggs. Spoon over remaining tarator.

    Keep the vegetables visible rather than mixing them into a mash.

  3. Finish and serveDrizzle with olive oil and dust with pul biber. Serve at room temperature.

    The flavour should be nutty, tangy and garlicky, not harsh.
Practical

Practical

Organise the measured components

Keep 400 g dried small white beans, 2 L water, 10 g fine sea salt, 150 g tahini, 60 ml grape or apple vinegar, and 30 ml lemon juice visible and separate until their stated stage. Cover beans with plenty of cool water and soak 8–12 hours; drain and rinse. This opening action establishes the moisture, seasoning and texture that later cooking can preserve but cannot fully repair. Before moving on, confirm that the beans should look plump and evenly hydrated. If the sign is absent, correct the immediate mixture, heat or handling rather than compensating with an unrelated ingredient.

Read the food at every stage

The key checkpoints across Cook the beans and eggs, Make the tarator, and Assemble are The beans should look plump and evenly hydrated., A stiff, grainy-looking phase is expected., and The dressing should settle into a creamy coating.. These observations are more reliable than colour alone because pan material, starting temperature, ingredient size and heat output vary between kitchens. Work in the stated order, keep the batch dimensions similar and pause when a cue has not appeared. The final confirmations are The yolks should be set but not grey-ringed., It should coat a bean without forming a heavy paste., and The flavour should be nutty, tangy and garlicky, not harsh.; together they describe texture, moisture and safe doneness more accurately than a single minute count.

Plan service and leftovers before cooking

Drizzle with olive oil and dust with pul biber. Serve at room temperature. Serve when the final texture is at its best, then move leftovers promptly to the storage condition specified for this dish. Cool cooked beans quickly if preparing ahead and refrigerate below 4°C. Use fully cooked eggs and refrigerate the assembled dish within 2 hours. Use fully cooked eggs and refrigerate the assembled dish within 2 hours. This closes the recipe as deliberately as it began: service, cooling and reheating are part of quality control, not an afterthought once the pan has left the heat.

Control points

Control points

  • The tarator is bitter Use fresh tahini and enough acid, salt and warm bean liquid to round it out.
  • The beans split They were boiled hard, overcooked or very old.
  • The sauce slides off The beans were rinsed or too wet; drain well and dress while warm.
Nutrition

Nutrition

  • Calories520 kcal
  • Protein22 g
  • Carbohydrates48 g
  • Fat29 g
  • Saturated fat4 g
  • Fiber13 g
  • Sugars7 g
  • Sodium610 mg

1 of 6 main-dish servings — Approximate values; actual nutrition varies with ingredients and serving size.

Allergens · Food safety

Allergens · Food safety

Allergens: Contains sesame and egg.

Food safety: Cool cooked beans quickly if preparing ahead and refrigerate below 4°C. Use fully cooked eggs and refrigerate the assembled dish within 2 hours.

Storage: Cool cooked beans quickly if preparing ahead and refrigerate below 4°C. Use fully cooked eggs and refrigerate the assembled dish within 2 hours.

FAQ

FAQ

Is Antalya piyazı a salad?

Unlike many piyaz varieties, the protected Antalya version is commonly eaten as a main dish.

Can canned beans be used?

Yes for speed, but their liquid is less useful; loosen tarator with warm water instead.

Why did the tahini become thick?

Acid makes tahini seize temporarily; gradual warm liquid turns it creamy again.

What matters most

What matters most

Creamy white beans with a bright, nutty tarator and fresh tomato, onion, parsley and egg.

Keep the beans whole and emulsify the tahini with warm bean liquid slowly.

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