Vardabit Paçası Recipe
Vardabit paçası has an important place in Adana and Mersin cuisines. The use of tahini is quite common throughout Turkey's Mediterranean region. Vardabit paçası is also a dish made with plenty of tahini. It reminds me of two different dishes. This is not surprising at all, since they both originate from close geographies.
The first dish evoked by the vardabit paçası is Antalya piyazı. In fact, in my opinion, the vardabit paçası is the version with pita under the Antalya piyazı, or the vardabit paçası of Antalya without pita. Another dish that is associated with it is chicken fatteh from Lebanese cuisine. Except for the chicken, it's pretty much the same dish. I think that such a similarity emerged through people who have the same ingredients in the same geography doing the same things or being influenced by each other's cuisines.
Vardabit paçası is originally made with kebab pita bread. But in order not to complicate this very simple dish, I always use sourdough bazlama, which is always available at home, instead of making pita bread at home. If you have the chance to find bazlama, you can use pita or any bread you have at home.
The juice of the boiled beans is also used in the sauce of the recipe. While preparing the sauce, make sure that the bean juice is hot so that the consistency of the tahini can melt easily. Otherwise, you may experience problems such as clumping. It will be good to adjust the amount of lemon juice according to your taste by tasting the sauce. For someone who doesn't like sour tastes, a sauce that is too sour can be annoying.
Hot chili peppers are heated in oil as a sauce on it. If you are not comfortable with hot spice, you can also use sweet paprika instead.
Enjoy the recipe...
Ingredients
- 1 pita or bazlama bread,
- 2 cups of dry beans,
- 1 cup of tahini,
- juice of 1 lemon,
- 2 cloves of garlic,
- 1/2 teaspoon of cumin,
- Salt.
For topping;
- 6-7 tablespoons of olive oil,
- 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes,
- A handful of chopped parsley.
Preparation
- Soak the beans overnight and boil them until soft the next day,
- Whisk tahini, lemon juice, crushed garlic, cumin and salt in a saucepan,
- Add a cup of the bean's boiling water to the mixture while it is still hot and whisk,
- Cut the bazlama into cubes, spread it on a baking tray and bake it in a preheated oven at 190 C degrees until it changes color slightly,
- Spread the breads on the serving plate,
- Spread the beans on it,
- Drizzle the tahini mixture on it,
- Heat the oil in a sauce pan, add the pepper flakes, mix and remove from the heat,
- Pour the sauce over the dish,
- Sprinkle parsley on top.
Enjoy your meal...