Dermason is the name Turkish cooks give to a large, flat, white kidney bean that cooks up creamy inside while keeping its shape. Bodrum sells it under its Farm Selection label as White Kidney Beans, Dermason Fasulye, in a 500 g clear bag, so the whole dried beans are visible through the pack. It is the traditional bean for kuru fasulye, the everyday Turkish stew of white beans in a tomato and pepper-paste sauce.
To cook it, rinse the beans and soak them in plenty of cold water for several hours or overnight, then drain and boil them in fresh water until tender; kidney beans must always be cooked thoroughly. For a classic kuru fasulye, soften chopped onion in butter or oil, stir in tomato and pepper paste, add the drained beans with hot water and simmer gently until the sauce thickens and the beans are soft. Serve with rice pilaf, a side of pickles and sliced raw onion. The same beans also suit piyaz salad, soups and oven-baked bean dishes.
Keep the unopened or re-closed bag in a cool, dry place away from sunlight, ideally transferred to an airtight jar once opened. A 500 g pack makes a generous family pot, because dried beans roughly double in size when soaked and cooked. Always check the label on your pack for allergen and storage details.