How to make doubles at home

2770895

Doubles is hands-down Trinidad and Tobago’s #1 street food! Make sure to customise your doubles just the way you like it with condiments like cucumbers, mango chutney, sweet sauce and pepper sauce” Try out this recipe for a homemade twist to this quintessential Trini must-have street food.

BARA

INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon yeast

1/4 cup lukewarm water

1 teaspoon brown sugar

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1 tablespoon oil

Oil for shaping bara

3 cups of oil for frying

DIRECTIONS

1 In a large bowl, add 1 cup of flour with your yeast, sugar, turmeric, salt and add 1/2 cup of warm water. Begin kneading and let sit for 5 minutes.

2 Gradually in the remaining flour and add additional water to assist in the kneading process. Shape your dough into a large ball and coat with 1 tablespoon of oil.

3 Set in a warm place covered with a tea towel or cling wrap and leave to rise for 30 minutes.

4 After 30 minutes, take your bara dough and shape into small balls and lay out on your clean countertop or tray.

5 Grease your hands with oil and flatten out bara dough into circles, starting from the edges and leaving the centre a little thicker.

6 Pour oil for frying in a heavy bottom pot and allow to heat for 5 minutes on a high flame.

7 When the oil is very hot, gently lay one bara in the oil. The cooking process takes less than 10 seconds per bara. Make sure to flip quickly and drain on paper towels .

CHANNA FILLING

INGREDIENTS

Boiling the Channa

1lb dried channa

1tbsp baking soda

10 cups water

Pressure-cooking the Channa

1 tablespoon salt

4 leaves chopped shadon beni

6 cloves chopped garlic

1 medium onion chopped

4 pimentos chopped

1/2 cup chives

3 sprigs fine thyme

1 tablespoon saffron

Currying the Channa

1 teaspoon geera seeds (cumin)

11/2 tablespoons oil

1/2 cup chives

1tbsp saffron

1 teaspoon dried fine thyme

1 tablespoon curry powder

1/2 cup water

Salt to taste

2 teaspoons roasted geera powder (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1 Soak your dried channa for at least 3 hours or overnight.

2 Wash and drain the channa and place in a pressure cooker or a boiling pot and add the seasonings for pressuring the channa.

3 If you are using a pressure cooker (follow your pressure cooker’s guidelines), cook on high pressure 20 minutes before the whistle sounds. If you are boiling on the stove, boil for 1 hour or until channa is tender.

4 Remove your pressure cooker from heat and release pressure in your sink under cool water.

5 In a heavy bottom pot, heat the oil and add the geera seeds. Saute for 30 seconds and add in all the other ingredients except the water and channa.

6 Cook for one minute then add the water and cook for another minute or until the water evaporates.

7 Add the cooked channa with boiling liquid and cook on the stovetop for 5-8 minutes to allows flavours to become incorporated

7 Thicken the gravy by smashing some of the channa. Right before the channa is finished, add salt and geera to taste.

8 Serve on your hot bara and enjoy!

Recipe by AnnMarie Rambally

AnnMarie Rambally owns a catering business called Annie’s Culinary Cuisine. She has been cooking since the age of 12 and was taught by her mother and grandmother. “Cooking is my passion and it brings me great joy to see people enjoy what I create.”

Follow Annie on Facebook and Instagram: @Annie’s Culinary Cuisine