Street treat: A traditional Turkish street food recipe
Wherever you are in Turkey, the street food is bound to be a highlight of your trip. With the help of acclaimed chef, Musa Dağdeviren, we give you a tasty recipe that can be rustled up in your Kitchen…
Nohut piyazi (Chickpea salad)
This is popular street food in the region. Vendors cook the chickpeas (garbanzo beans) in a lamb stock and serve them in this fresh salad. Chickpea rolls are sold in front of bakeries and enjoyed in the early morning in homes and workplaces. This tradition is still strong in Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa and Adıyaman.
Region: Adıyaman, Southeastern Anatolia
Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus overnight soaking
Cooking time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Serves: 4
Recipe
200 g chickpeas (garbanzo beans), soaked overnight
60 ml olive oil
1 (120g) medium onion, sliced into crescents
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 small hot red bell pepper, sliced into crescents
2 sundried tomatoes, finely sliced
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp dried chilli (red pepper) flakes
1 tsp ground sumac
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely sliced
6 fresh basil sprigs, finely sliced
Method
Drain the soaked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), then cook in a saucepan of simmering water until soft, about 1½ hours. Drain and put the cooked chickpeas into a large bowl.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and sundried tomatoes and cook for a further minute. Add ½ teaspoon salt, then pour the mixture over the chickpeas and mix gently. Add the cumin, dried chilli (red pepper) flakes, sumac, lemon juice, parsley and basil, mix gently and serve.
Musa Dağdeviren is Turkey’s most acclaimed chef, receiving international recognition for starring in the latest series of the Netflix show Chef’s Table. His world famous restaurant, Civa, is in the hearty of Istanbul along with his two other restaurants.
In his book,The Turkish Cookbook, he shares 550 recipes, influenced by the food of his homeland and deeply rooted in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern traditions.