Doubles (Trinidad) - Oceanian Recipe

Doubles (Trinidad)

🌍 Oceanian, Trinidadian Difficulty: ●●●○○

Doubles were invented by a street vendor in Princes Town, Trinidad around 1939 and named because the channa is served between two bara; they are now Trinidad's defining breakfast street food, eaten by hundreds of thousands daily.

Ingredients

• 400 g all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 250 ml warm water
• Oil for deep-frying
• 2 cans (400 g each) chickpeas, drained
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp Caribbean curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp Scotch bonnet pepper sauce (to taste)
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp oil

Method

1. Mixing — Mix flour, yeast, turmeric, cumin, salt, and sugar; add warm water and knead to a soft, slightly sticky dough. Rise 1 hour.
2. Step 2 — For channa: Sauté onion and garlic in oil; add curry powder and cumin, cook 1 minute. Add chickpeas and 200 ml water; simmer 20 minutes, mashing some chickpeas for thickness. Season with salt and pepper sauce.
3. Heating — Heat oil to 180°C (350°F) for deep-frying.
4. Pulling — Pull off small pieces of dough (golf ball size); flatten with oiled hands into thin discs.
5. Frying — Fry each bara 30–40 seconds per side until puffed and golden. Drain.
6. Step 6 — To assemble: Place two bara side by side. Spoon channa generously over both. Add toppings.

Tags: all-purpose flour, instant yeast, turmeric, cumin, sugar · Source: Brittani's Almanac