Doubles

Updated March 26, 2024

Doubles
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1½ hours
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Rating
4(409)
Comments
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Easily the most recognizable and beloved dish from Trinidad and Tobago, doubles are an expression of migration and fortitude. Badru Deen is the son of Emamool and Raheman Rasulan Deen, who conceived of the dish in 1936 in Princes Town as a way to support their large family, bridging Indian flavors with the ingredients of their Caribbean home. Doubles are addictive: The turmeric-and-cumin-laced bara (fried bread) are crisp but soft, cradling spiced chickpeas that are punctuated with sour, spicy, sweet and crunchy condiments. As with all deep-frying, have a splatter guard handy, and open a window. Traditionally, doubles are served with mango chutney and pepper sauce, chadon beni or culantro chutneys, but, inspired by the cross-island connections found in “Islas: A Celebration of Tropical Cooking” by Von Diaz (Chronicle Books, 2024), these can be topped with mint-cilantro chutney from Mauritius and tamarind sauce. Sauces are optional, but strongly encouraged. Doubles are messy by design, and turmeric will stain your clothes. —Von Diaz

Featured in: Why Doubles Remain Trinidad’s Most Popular Food

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings (two bara each)

    For the Bara

    • 2cups/256 grams all-purpose flour
    • 1teaspoon baking powder
    • 1teaspoon granulated sugar
    • 1teaspoon active dry yeast
    • ½teaspoon ground turmeric
    • ½teaspoon bhuna jeera (roasted ground cumin) or ground cumin
    • ½teaspoon salt
    • 1tablespoon plus 2 cups vegetable oil, plus more as needed

    For the Channa

    • 1cup dried chickpeas (soaked for 24 hours with ½ teaspoon baking soda), or 3 cups canned chickpeas (from two 13.5 oz cans)
    • 2tablespoons vegetable oil
    • 1small yellow onion, finely chopped
    • 2scallions, greens and whites finely chopped
    • 2large garlic cloves, minced
    • 1tablespoon curry powder, preferably Madras
    • 1teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1teaspoon ground coriander
    • 1teaspoon ground turmeric
    • ½ teaspoon amchar masala or garam masala
    • 3fresh thyme sprigs
    • 1whole Scotch bonnet chile (optional)
    • 2chadon beni (culantro) leaves, chopped, or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

    For Serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the bara: Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, yeast, turmeric, cumin and salt in a large bowl and mix with a fork until fully incorporated. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, then slowly pour in ¾ cup lukewarm water, mixing with a fork until the dough starts to get shaggy. Knead the dough with your hands just until it’s soft and pliable. (Dough will be a little sticky.) Let rest, uncovered for at least 30 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the channa: If using dried chickpeas, drain the soaked chickpeas, then transfer to a deep saucepan and cover with 6 cups water. Increase heat to medium-high and boil for 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours until chickpeas are tender and easily crushed between two fingers, skimming any foam off the surface of the water. (The cook time can vary quite a bit depending on the size and age of the chickpeas, so test them along the way.) Drain chickpeas, reserving 2 cups of the chickpea broth.

  3. Step 3

    Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet over medium. Add onion and scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes, until just golden.

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the garlic, then add the curry powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric and amchar masala and fry until fragrant. Add the thyme sprigs, Scotch bonnet and chadon beni, then pour in the cooked chickpeas and 1 cup reserved chickpea broth (if cooking with dried chickpeas) or water (if using canned chickpeas). Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes until flavors meld.

  5. Step 5

    Discard the thyme sprigs and Scotch bonnet, then separate about ¼ of the chickpeas and purée them until smooth, returning to the skillet to thicken the sauce. If you want brothier channa, add more chickpea broth or water. Season to taste with salt. Cover and set aside while you prepare the bara.

  6. Step 6

    With oiled fingers, divide the dough into 12 equal balls and transfer to a lightly oiled working surface. Form each ball between two hands, then set it on your work surface and press it out with your fingers, gently spreading from the middle to the edges, as if smoothing a sheet, until it forms a superthin, 5-inch round. (Holes are OK.)

  7. Step 7

    Line a large baking sheet with paper towels, then heat 2 cups of vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium to high heat until it reaches 375 degrees. Working with one round of dough at a time, gently place the uncooked bara on the surface of the oil. It’ll puff up and rise to the surface. Flip after a few seconds, when the bara starts to turn golden in spots, then fry for a few seconds more, until golden and starting to show some stiffness when lifted out of the oil. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.

  8. Step 8

    To serve, overlap two bara on a plate and top with a generous spoonful of channa. Drizzle with an array of sauces of your choice: mint-cilantro chutney, tamarind sauce and pepper or hot sauce. Serve fresh and piping hot.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
409 user ratings
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Comments

If you're never had doubles on the roadside after carnival in Trinidad you may not understand why getting the bread just right makes a HUGE difference. Folks who are new to this food may want to try it authentically to understand the cuisine before westernizing the recipe. I'm super excited to try this at home and shoutout to the Times for including a hard to get but beloved West Indian recipe in their collection that pays homage to the makers.

It's so easy to make roasted cumin, and the flavor really really is different! Madhur Jaffrey's way is to put 4 to 5 tablespoons of whole cumin seeds into a small, heavy frying pan and place the pan over medium flame. No fat is necessary. Stir the seeds constantly and keep roasting them until they turn a few shades darker. She says cast-iron is better, but I have done it in a regular skillet. Grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

Our food is best when you keep it original, adaptations are a no-no.

Put the finished bara in a towel-lined bowl after you take them out of the oil and keep them gently covered by the towel. This way they steam a little bit and stay soft and pliant instead of crispier or dried on the outside.

Ten stars for the channa; two stars for the bara. Perhaps an element of user error…but even in the recipe photo, the bara appear thick and stiff, which is how mine turned out. A thin, supple bara is my preference. The channa goes into my regular rotation—as a companion for hot rice, a filling for jacket potatoes, an emotional support stew, you name it. Unbeatable combo of ease + flavour. But does anyone know a better bara recipe to try?

@Lake try putting them in a towel-lined bowl and gently cover them instead of on a rack after you take them out of the oil. They steam and stay soft!

@sheri, I followed the towel-wrapping method (as I always do when I make soft flatbreads) to no avail. This is sadly not an issue of technique. I’m clarifying to save others the trouble.

For many years, we lived very near A&A doubles shop in BedStuy, and they were one of my partner's favorite foods. And one of the snacks he missed most when we moved to Vermont (sooooo far from doubles!). I just made these for his birthday! It was definitely a bit of work (several things I'd never done before) but also completely doable and came together way more successfully than I'd anticipated. Absolutely delicious!!! Definitely definitely make both of the sauces linked! Essential!

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Credits

Adapted from Badru Deen

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