Ingredients
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Doubles Bara:
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2 cups all purpose flour
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1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
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1 teaspoon Salt
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1 teaspoon instant yeast
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1/4-1/2 teaspoon turmeric
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2 teaspoons granulated sugar
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1 cup lukewarm waterminus 3 tablespoons
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2 cups Vegetable Oilfor frying
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Channa:
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1/2 pound dried chickpeas
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1 teaspoon baking sodadivided
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1 tablespoon cilantrominced
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1 tablespoon Garlicminced
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1/8-1/4 teaspoon turmeric
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1 1/2 teaspoons amchar masala
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Saltto taste
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Cucumber Chutney:
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2 cucumberspeeled and grated
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3 tablespoons cilantrochopped
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1 hot peppers
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1 teaspoon curry powderoptional
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3 teaspoons Salt
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3 garlic cloves
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1 tablespoon lime juice
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To serve:
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Tamarind chutney
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Hot sauce
Directions
Doubles is a popular street food from Trinidad and Tobago and is a completely vegetarian dish. Although normally eaten for breakfast, it is apparently a popular hangover food too. The fried dough pieces are called baras and are filled with channa (curried chickpeas) and usually served with a variety of chutneys ranging from cucumber, cilantro, tamarind, and hot pepper sauce. The dough has curry powder and cumin in it, hence the color, which are also the same spices that go in the curry.
Doubles is the first thing I eat when in land at Piarco International Airport. The vendors move faster than the speed of light and you have your doubles in less than 30 seconds.
How to Make Doubles Bara:
- In a medium bowl, put the flour, salt, yeast, turmeric, and sugar.
- Gradually add the lukewarm water and mix to form a very soft, slightly sticky dough. Do not over knead.
- Rub the dough with oil, cover, and set aside to rest for a minimum of 1 hour or until doubled in size. The longer it rests, the softer the bara—6 hours is ideal, but if you are in a hurry, an hour will suffice.
- Divide the dough into 16 balls. Cover and allow it to rise for another hour until doubled.
- Rub oil on a flat plate. Place the dough on the oiled plate and flatten to 4 inch rounds (oil your hands too).
- Make them to your desired thickness and width—keeping in mind it puffs as it cooks.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 cups of oil in a small pot over a medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, gently place the dough in the 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.
- Place the fried dough in a bowl lined with paper towel or on 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.
How to Make Doubles Channa:
- Soak the chickpeas in a large bowl submerged in water overnight with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Drain and rinse with water several times.
- In a pot, add about 6 cups of water and place over a medium heat. Add the chickpeas, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and scoop out any impurities that rise to the top.
- When the chickpeas are tender, about 1 hour, add the minced garlic, curry powder, cilantro, and turmeric and mix well. You can also add minced hot pepper.
- 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. It will take several minutes for the channa to thicken.
- Taste for salt and add more if needed. Mix in amchar masala.
- Serve with bara.
How to Make Cucumber Chutney:
- Wash the cucumber and grate it using the large holed side of the grater.
- Give the cucumber a little squeeze to get out any excess liquid and transfer to a bowl.
- Mix together salt, black pepper, lemon juice, pepper, and garlic.
- Mix the seasoning with the grated cucumber.
