Trinidadian Doubles

40 mins Prep Time

40 mins Cook Time

Written By

Nadia Boachie

I am not Trinidadian, but since discovering delicious recipes by Caribbean food bloggers like Cooking with Ria, I am hooked on Trinidadian food. This recipe is based on Ria's own Trinidadian doubles recipe with minor changes. Doubles is a street food from Trinidad and Tobago, which is essentially two flatbreads (bara) filled with a curried chickpea filling (channa). When making my doubles, I added a bit of extra turmeric (1/2 teaspoon vs. 1/4 teaspoon) to the bara (the flatbread) because I like the bold yellow colour -- some recipes call for more or less turmeric. Everyone has their preference of how they like their own doubles from the colour to flavours and consistency. Some like their bara very thin and are particular about chewiness. In comparison, others prefer their channa spicier, more watery or with a stronger curry flavour. Tweaking of the recipe to meet your specific taste is always welcome and encouraged. I topped my doubles with cucumber chutney and homemade (or store-bought) condiments like tamarind chutney and hot pepper. Additionally, in this recipe, cilantro is substituted for a more traditional ingredient, culantro, because of availability. If you can get your hands on culantro, you can substitute it back in for cilantro. Try your hand at this doubles recipe! It is fun to make and absolutely worth it.

Ingredients

Doubles Bara

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 cup lukewarm water (minus 3 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups vegetable oil for frying

Channa

1/2 pound dried chickpeas
1 teaspoon baking soda, divided
1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons amchar masala
Salt, to taste

Cucumber Chutney

2 cucumbers, peeled and grated
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 hot pepper
1 teaspoon curry powder (optional)
3 teaspoons salt
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon lime juice

To serve

Tamarind chutney
Hot sauce

Directions

Doubles Bara

8 Steps

Step 1

In a medium bowl add flour, salt, yeast, turmeric and sugar.
Step 2

Add lukewarm water gradually and mix to form a very soft, slightly sticky dough. Do not over knead.
Step 3

Rub the dough with oil, cover and set aside to rest 1 hour (minimum) or until doubled (max 6 hours or overnight). The longer it rests, the softer the bara -- 6 hours is ideal, but if you are in a hurry an hour will suffice.
Step 4

Divide the dough into 16 balls. Cover and allow it to rise another hour until doubled.
Step 5

Rub oil on a flat surface plate. Place the dough on the oiled plate and flatten to 4 inch rounds (oil hands as well).
Step 6

Make your desired thickness and width -- keeping in mind it puffs as it cooks.
Step 7

Meanwhile, heat 2 cups of oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, gently place dough in hot oil and fry on each side until cooked and golden brown -- this takes seconds if the oil is hot enough. You are essentially dropping it in, flipping it almost immediately and taking it out of the oil after about 10 seconds.
Step 8

Place the fried dough in a bowl lined with paper towel or in a clean kitchen towel, stacking them on top of each other as they are done frying. This will allow them to flatten, steam and give them that soft chewy texture.

Doubles Channa

6 Steps

Step 1

Soak chickpeas in a large bowl submerged in water overnight with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Drain and rinse with water several times.
Step 2

In a pot, add about 6 cups of water and place over medium heat. Add chickpeas, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and stir to combine. Bring to boil and scoop out any impurities that rise to the top.
Step 3

When chickpeas are tender, about 1 hour, add minced garlic, curry powder, cilantro and turmeric and mix well. You can also add minced hot pepper.
Step 4

Continue to cook for 15-20 minutes or longer if required. During this time, with a wooden spoon, stir moving back and forth breaking up and squishing some off the chickpeas to get the right consistency. This will take several minutes for the channa to thicken.
Step 5

Taste for salt and add more if needed. Mix in amchar masala.
Step 6

Serve with bara.

Cucumber Chutney

4 Steps

Step 1

Wash cucumber and grate using large holed side of the grater.
Step 2

Give the cucumber a little squeeze to get out any excess liquid and transfer to a bowl.
Step 3

Mix together salt, black pepper, lemon juice, pepper and garlic.
Step 4

Mix seasoning with grated cucumber.