Antalya-Style Tahini Piyaz: White Bean Salad with Tahini Sauce

Discard the soaking water. Put the beans in a pot with fresh cold water and bring to a boil. Skim off the first foam, then simmer over low heat for 50 minutes. Add the salt during the last 10 minutes. The beans are done when the skins have not split but the centers can be mashed; drain and let them cool until just warm.

Whisk the tahini, grated garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt in a bowl. The mixture will first thicken and clump; keep whisking and it will loosen after a few seconds. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil to emulsify the sauce. It should be as pourable as yogurt; if it is too thick, add 2–3 tablespoons of the bean cooking water.

Thinly slice the onion, toss it with the sumac in a bowl, and let it stand for 5 minutes; the sumac mellows the onion’s sharpness. Dice the tomato, chop the parsley, and quarter the hard-boiled eggs.

Transfer the warm beans to a wide bowl. Pour in two-thirds of the tahini sauce and toss gently without crushing the beans. The beans absorb the sauce better while they are still warm.