Doubles

Name: Doubles
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 165 min
Yield: 6 doubles
Cuisine: Trinidadian
Ingredients: 400 g Wheat flour, plain; 1.5 tsp Yeast, instant dried; 1 tsp Turmeric; 0.5 tsp Cumin, ground; 1 tsp Sugar; 1 tsp Salt; 260 ml Water, lukewarm; 500 ml Neutral oil, for frying; 500 g Chickpeas, cooked, or two tins drained; 1 medium Onion, finely chopped; 4 clove Garlic, crushed; 2 tbsp Curry powder; 1 tsp Cumin, ground, toasted; 1 piece Scotch bonnet, whole, plus a little minced for the sauce; 2 tbsp Neutral oil; 400 ml Water; 1 tsp Salt; 1 handful Coriander, chopped; shado beni if you can get it; 3 tbsp Tamarind, paste, loosened with 3 tbsp water and 1 tbsp sugar; 0.5 piece Cucumber, grated, squeezed, salted

Trinidad's street breakfast: two soft turmeric fried breads folded around curried chickpeas, with tamarind, cucumber and pepper sauce.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.

Start cooking

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 45 min
Rest: 1 hr 30 min
Total: 2 hr 45 min
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Medium heat
Cost: Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

About

Doubles are two bara, soft, thin, turmeric-yellow fried flatbreads, overlapped and topped with channa, chickpeas stewed with curry powder, cumin, garlic and pepper until soft and saucy. Over that goes whatever the vendor has: sweet tamarind sauce, grated cucumber, a few drops of scotch bonnet pepper sauce, and coriander chutney. They are wrapped in paper and eaten standing up, folded, in about four bites. The bara dough is yeasted and rested, then stretched thin by hand and fried for seconds a side so it stays soft and puffy. This recipe makes twelve doubles, which is six servings or four hungry people.

What you'll need

20 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 20 ready

6 servings

Bara
Channa
Toppings

Ingredients

Servings

Bara

Wheat flour, plain400 g
Yeast, instant dried7.4 ml
Turmeric4.9 ml
Cumin, ground2½ ml
Sugar4.9 ml
Salt4.9 ml
Water, lukewarm260 ml
Neutral oil, for frying500 ml

Channa

Chickpeas, cooked, or two tins drained500 g
Onion, finely chopped1 medium
Garlic, crushed4 clove
Curry powder30 ml
Cumin, ground, toasted4.9 ml
Scotch bonnet, whole, plus a little minced for the sauce1
Neutral oil30 ml
Water400 ml
Salt4.9 ml
Coriander, chopped; shado beni if you can get it1 handful

Toppings

Tamarind, paste, loosened with 3 tbsp water and 1 tbsp sugar44 ml
Cucumber, grated, squeezed, salted½

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Mix the flour, yeast, turmeric, cumin, sugar and salt. Add the water and bring together into a very soft, slightly sticky dough. Knead 2 minutes, oil the surface, cover and rest 1 hour 30 until puffy.
10 min
Tip: Softer than you think is right. Stiff dough makes crackers, not bara.
Step 2
For the channa, heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the onion and garlic 5 minutes. Stir the curry powder and cumin with 3 tablespoons of water to a paste and fry it in the pan for 1 minute until it darkens and smells toasted.
8 min
Step 3
Add the chickpeas, water, salt and the whole scotch bonnet. Simmer 25 minutes, lid half on, until the chickpeas are very soft and the liquid is a thick gravy. Mash a few against the side. Fish out the pepper and stir in the coriander.
25 min
Step 4
Heat the frying oil to 180°C. Oil your hands, pull off a golf-ball piece of dough and stretch it thin, about 12 cm across. Fry one at a time: 15 to 20 seconds a side, until puffed and just gold. Drain on paper and cover with a cloth to stay soft.
20 min180°C
Watch: Bara fry in seconds. Have everything ready before the first one goes in.
Step 5
Lay two bara overlapping on a square of paper. Spoon channa across the middle, add tamarind sauce, cucumber, a few drops of minced scotch bonnet in a little vinegar, and more coriander. Fold and eat.

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 604 kcal
Protein: 16.1 g
Carbs: 85 g
Fat: 22.5 g
Saturated fat: 2.4 g
Fibre: 9.6 g
Sugar: 11.4 g
Sodium: 882 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Wheat

Vegan
Vegetarian
Dairy-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 11 November.

Substitutions

Scotch bonnet → Any hot chilli or a bottled hot sauce
Scotch bonnet has a fruity flavour under the heat. Habanero is the nearest.

Tips

Bara dough can be made the night before and kept in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature before stretching.
Leftover channa thickens as it cools. Loosen with hot water when you reheat.
Coriander chutney, a blend of coriander, garlic, lime and a little green chilli, is the standard fourth topping if you want the full stand experience.

History & culture

Doubles are sold from carts and roadside stands across Trinidad from dawn, and again late at night outside bars. Everyone has a vendor they swear by. Ordering has its own vocabulary: slight pepper, plenty pepper, no cucumber. It is cheap, vegan without trying to be, and the first thing many Trinidadians eat when they fly home.

Doubles were created in the 1930s in Princes Town by Emamool Deen and his wife Raheman Rasulan, Indo-Trinidadian vendors who started selling bara and channa separately, then put the channa between two bara when customers asked for double. The dish descends from Bihari and Uttar Pradeshi chole and bhatura, adapted with Trinidad's curry powder and pepper.

Traditional — Vendors use Trinidad curry powder, which is heavier on cumin and lighter on chilli than Madras blends, and often add ground roasted cumin (geera) separately. Here extra cumin is added to make a standard curry powder taste right.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Doubles take?

2 hr 45 min all in — 30 min prep, 45 min cook, 1 hr 30 min rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 6 doubles. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Medium.

How spicy is it?

Medium heat.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Wheat. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy-free.

9 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Frying pan, Saucepan, Mixing bowl, Spider or strainer.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.

How much sugar?

1 tsp of Sugar.

What can I use instead?

Scotch bonnet → Any hot chilli or a bottled hot sauce. Scotch bonnet has a fruity flavour under the heat. Habanero is the nearest.

What should I watch for?

Bara fry in seconds. Have everything ready before the first one goes in.

Any tips from this recipe?

Bara dough can be made the night before and kept in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature before stretching. Leftover channa thickens as it cools. Loosen with hot water when you reheat. Coriander chutney, a blend of coriander, garlic, lime and a little green chilli, is the standard fourth topping if you want the full stand experience.

Can I prepare this ahead?

Leftover channa thickens as it cools. Loosen with hot water when you reheat.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.