Doubles

Name: Doubles
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Trinidadian
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 2 tsp instant yeast; 1/2 tsp ground turmeric; 1/2 tsp salt; 3/4 cup warm water (for dough); 4 cups vegetable oil (for frying); 2 cans chickpeas (15 oz), drained, rinsed; 1 yellow onion, finely diced; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 2 tbsp curry powder; 1 tsp ground cumin; 2 tbsp culantro or cilantro (shadow beni), finely chopped; 2 tbsp vegetable oil (for curry); 1/2 tsp salt (for curry); 4 tbsp tamarind sauce or concentrate; to taste hot pepper sauce

A beloved Trinidadian street food of soft fried bara bread filled with curried chickpeas, topped with chutneys and pepper sauce. Plan ahead: the bara dough needs 30 minutes to rest.

80 minMediumServes 4380 cal/serving

TrinidadianLunchStovetopVeganHigh ProteinHigh FiberHalal-friendlyPork-FreeAlcohol-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup warm water (for dough)
4 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
2 cans chickpeas (15 oz), drained, rinsed
1 yellow onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp culantro or cilantro (shadow beni), finely chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil (for curry)
1/2 tsp salt (for curry)
4 tbsp tamarind sauce or concentrate
to taste hot pepper sauce

Instructions

1

Make the bara dough: in a bowl mix 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp instant yeast, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, and 1/2 tsp salt. Add 3/4 cup warm water (for dough) and mix until a soft dough forms. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
2

Make the channa curry: heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil (for curry) in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute 1 finely diced yellow onion for 3 minutes, add 4 minced garlic cloves and cook 1 minute. Add 2 tbsp curry powder and 1 tsp ground cumin, stir 30 seconds.
3

Add 2 cans drained, rinsed chickpeas (15 oz) and enough water to just cover. Season with 1/2 tsp salt (for curry). Simmer 15 minutes until sauce thickens slightly. Stir in 2 tbsp finely chopped culantro or cilantro (shadow beni) and remove from heat.
4

Divide the rested dough into small balls (about 12 for the standard batch). On a lightly oiled surface, flatten each ball into a thin 4-inch round.
5

Heat 4 cups vegetable oil (for frying) in a deep skillet to 350F. Fry the bara in batches, 30-45 seconds per side, until puffed and lightly golden. Drain on paper towels.
6

To assemble: lay two bara on a plate, spoon curried chickpeas over one bara, drizzle with 4 tbsp tamarind sauce or concentrate and hot pepper sauce to taste. Fold or top with the second bara.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Keep this recipe

Prints the ingredients and method only.

Questions

How hot should the oil be for Doubles?

For Doubles, the frying oil is held at 350 F (about 175 C) in step 5. Hotter scorches the outside before the inside cooks, and cooler turns it greasy.

How do I know when Doubles is done?

Go by the cues in the method rather than the clock. Step 3: cook until sauce thickens slightly. Step 5: cook until puffed and lightly golden.

Is there a substitute for tamarind in Doubles?

The entry for Doubles calls for 4 tbsp tamarind sauce or concentrate. In its place: Equal parts lime juice and brown sugar give the same sour-sweet effect. Pomegranate molasses also works where you have it.

Can I use dried beans instead of canned in Doubles?

Yes. One 15-ounce can is about one and a half cups of cooked beans, which comes from a generous half cup dried. Soak them overnight and simmer until tender before you start the recipe. As written, the entry for Doubles uses 2 cans chickpeas (15 oz), drained, rinsed.

Can I make Doubles gluten-free?

Yes. The gluten in Doubles is 2 cups all-purpose flour. Swap the flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend (where it only thickens a sauce, half as much cornstarch also works). Everything else proceeds as written.

Serve it with

Coo Coo side
Fried Yam side
Dubu Salad salad

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,544 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.