Nohut Piyazi Salatasi
Turkish Chickpea Salad with Tomato and Red Onion
Submitted By: Taz

Ingredients:

     1 Cup Dried Chickpeas (Nohut) - PREFERRED
   -OR-
     2 15oz Cans Chickpeas (Nohut) - drained and rinsed

1 Tbs Aleppo Pepper (Halep Biber)
1 Large Red Onion (Kırmızı Soğan) - sliced thin
1 tsp Kosher Salt (Tuz) or to taste 
1 Tbs Sumac (Sumak)
1 Tbs Pomegranate Molasses (Nar Ekşisi)
1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Zeytinyağı)
Juice of 1 Lemon (Limon Suyu)
2 Medium Tomatoes (Domates) - seeds removed and chopped
2 Tbs Flat Leaf Parsley (Maydanoz) - small chopped
2 Tbs Fresh Mint (Taze Nane) - chopped
-OPTIONAL-
Turkish White Cheese (Beyaz Peynir)

Preparation:
  1. IF USING DRIED CHICKPEAS (Otherwise skip to STEP 5) Pick [Look for anything that does not look like a bean] and thoroughly rinse your dried chickpeas
  2. Place in a container and cover with at least 2 inches of fresh water - Set aside and allow to soak overnight (minimum 8 hours)
  3. After the chickpeas have soaked for the appropriate time, drain, and thoroughly rinse - Transfer to a small pot with a lid and cover with at least 4 inches of clean water - Place over high heat and bring to a boil - Once a boil has been achieved, reduce to a simmer, and allow to cook (loosely covered) until desired tenderness (apx 2 hours)
  4. Once tender, remove from heat, drain, and allow to cool completely to room temperature 
  5. Place your cooked and cooled OR drained canned chickpeas in a bowl and sprinkle with the Aleppo pepper - Mix well, cover, and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours
  6. Place your sliced onion in a bowl and add the salt, sumac, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, and lemon juice - Mix well, cover, and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours
  7. When ready to serve, deseed and chop your tomatoes, chop the parsley and mint - Transfer everything to a large bowl and gently mix making sure not to crush the tomatoes
  8. Crumble the cheese over the top (if using) and serve immediately ‘on its own’ with Turkish flat bread (Bazlama) as a light meal, as an offering on your mezze table, or as part of a larger Turkish meal