Falafel Sliders

It’s not unusual for me to take an existing recipe and give it a modern twist. That is exactly what I did with these falafel sliders. Sliders are all the rage right now so why not take that falafel mixture and form it into a patty vs. a ball… it’s a no brainer, and it saves time, even better!

Gather all your favourite falafel toppings on a large platter and you can create a slider bar for guests, or use the traditional toppings and prep all the sliders beforehand. Serve on a platter and you will be amazed at how simple these are to put together.

Next time try shaking up your usual recipe, because these falafel sliders are worth gossiping about!

Falafel Sliders

Yield: 6-8 patties

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup dried chickpeas
1 cup water
2 cloves garlic
1 onion, rough chop
1/4 cup (small handful) fresh parsley
1/4 cup (small handful) fresh cilantro/coriander
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
Sprinkle black pepper
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup flour (+ more if needed)
Vegetable oil, for frying
Toppings:
8 mini pitas, cut in half
Shredded cabbage
Tomato slices
Cucumber slices
Pickle slices
Hummus
Tahini

DIRECTIONS:
1. Pour the dried chickpeas into a large bowl, cover with 1 cup of water, mix and let sit on counter overnight or for 8 hours.
2. In a food processor, combine, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper. Process until you get a rough meal- transfer to a large bowl.
3. In the same food processor, place the chickpeas and pulse until you get a complete chop but not a pureed mixture. Scrape down sides if needed.
4. Pour mixture into same bowl with the spices and mix together using your hands until evenly distributed.
5. Sprinkle in the flour and baking powder and then mix again, using your hands until mixed through. At this point, try and make a ball with the mixture- if still too grainy and falling apart, add 1 tbsp of flour at a time until it sticks together.
6. Between the palms of your hand mix together about a tbsp of the mixture until it form a mini patty. Place on a baking sheet. Continue until all the mixture is formed into patties.
7. Put the patties in the refrigerator for half hour before frying.
8. Heat vegetable oil in a large pan to about 375 degrees (you can use a candy thermometer clipped to the side of the pan) and cook in batches until golden brown. Remove and place on a rack with paper towel underneath.
9. Assemble sliders by placing hummus on both sides of the mini pita, put shredded cabbage on the bottom half of the pita, then the patty, tahini, tomato, cucumber, pickle and top with other half of pita. Enjoy!