Trinidadian Doubles
Trinidadian Doubles
Category
Breakfast
Servings
8
Prep Time
2 hours
Cook Time
30 minutes
Anthony Bourdain summarised this dish as “a Caribbean take on the Indian chana bhatura, two floppy tender pieces of soft Indian-style bread loaded with a wet heap of curried chickpeas, pepper sauce, and mango.” You can find this delicacy anywhere you go in Trinidad and Tobago and even throughout cities with Caribbean populations. In South Florida and as far as London, Caribbean people search for this snack which is also known as "the breakfast of champions". Proof of its growing popularity was seen In May 2020, when Food and Wine magazine covered a version of this scrumptious snack complete with condiments.
Ingredients
i Teaspoon ground cumin (geera)
1 Teaspoon ground tumeric
1/2 Teaspoon salt
300 G Flour
2 Teaspoons active dry yeast
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
250 ML lukewarm water
1 Medium onion halved and then sliced thinly
8 Garlic cloves finely chopped
1 Fresh habanero pepper finely chopped (you may wish to take out the seeds if you want to reduce the heat). If you cannot find habaneros, you can use either Chief Hot Sauce or Chief Trinidad Scorpion Pepper Sauce.
Coconut Oil
2 400 G cans chickpeas
500 ML water
3 Tablespoons Chief Curry Powder
1 Tablespoon Cumin (Geera)
Chief Tamarind Chutney
Chief Mango Amchar
To Make the Fried Bread (Bara)
To Make the Filling (Curried Chickpeas/Channa)
Quick Condiments
Directions
Making the Fried Bread (Bara)
Place the warm water, sugar and yeast in a large bowl and whisk with a fork. Let stand until foamy.
Meanwhile, in another bowl mix together the flour, salt, cumin and tumeric.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture and knead until the dough is smooth but very sticky. This can also be done in an electric mixer with a dough hook.
Lightly grease a large bowl and transfer the sitcky dough and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand at a warm room temperature until doubled in size.
To Make the Curried Chickpea (Channa) Filling
Heat 2 Tablespoons of by Charles & Co Organic MCT coconut oil in a sturdy saucepan.
While the coconut oil is heating, mix the curry powder with some water to create a paste. with the oil heated, add the garlic and onion and cook until softened not burnt. Add the curry paste and stir. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on a medium heat until the chickpeas are extremely soft and reach a consistency of a very thick soup. Season with salt to taste. Take off of the fire and keep warm.
Cooking the Fried Bread (Bara)
Pour coconut oil into a depth of about 3 cm in a cast iron pan. Heat on a medium fire until the oil reaches about 200 degrees Celsius.
While the oil is heating, prepare to make the fried bread. Apply a fresh teaspoon of coconut oil to your hands so that the dough does not stick. Punch down the dough and allow to relax for 10 minutes. Then pinch off a small handful of the dough (about 1 Tablespoon) and place on a greased surface. Do this for the remainder of the dough. Proceed to then roll each piece into a smooth ball.
When all the pieces have been rolled into balls, cover with a cloth to avoid drying out the dough.
Take one dough ball an place directly onto a greased surface. Using your hands, proceed to flatten the dough from inside out to create a very thin flat circle of about 15-20 cm. Repeat with remaining balls of dough. Carefully place the flattened round into the coconut oil and fry until puffed and edges are dry. Flip and fry until cooked through. When cooked, place on a container lined with paper towels or parchment paper. Ensure the container is covered and then proceed to continue frying each flattened round.
Assembling the Doubles
Place 2 of the fried breads (bara) on a serving plate.
Top each fried bread with a liberal amount of curried channa. Garnish with the tamarind or mango. Serve immediately.
Recipe Note
Doubles are best eaten immediately. Consumed mostly as an on-the-go breakfast or lunch, this is a wonderful different suggestion for brunch. In a sea of Eggs Benedict, why not serve as a do-it-yourself "Doubles Bar." Increase the fun factor by having your guests trying to assemble this wonderful Trini concoction!