Trinidad's favourite street food — two soft bara flatbreads filled with curried chickpeas and topped with tamarind, pepper sauce, and chutney.
Doubles is the quintessential Trinidadian street food, sold at roadside stalls from as early as 5am and eaten standing up. The name comes from 'double bara' — two pieces of fried dough — sandwiching channa (curried chickpeas seasoned with shadow beni, cumin, and turmeric). Customers choose their toppings from an array of condiments: sweet tamarind chutney, fiery pepper sauce, cucumber chutney, and green mango chutney. Created in the 1930s by Emamool Deen, doubles has spread across the Caribbean diaspora and become one of the most recognised dishes of Trinidad and Tobago.
Serves 6
Mix flour, yeast, turmeric, and salt. Gradually add warm water and knead to a soft, slightly sticky dough. Cover with a damp cloth and rest 30–45 minutes until puffed.
Fry onion in 2 tbsp oil until soft, add garlic, curry powder, cumin, and turmeric; stir 2 minutes. Add chickpeas and water. Simmer 15–20 minutes until thick and saucy. Mash lightly — you want some whole chickpeas and some crushed. Stir in shadow beni and season with salt.
The channa should be moist but not watery — it needs to stay on the bara without dripping.
Heat 3–4 cm of oil to 175°C. Divide dough into 12 equal balls. Wet your hands and flatten each ball into a thin disc (about 10 cm diameter). Fry in batches 1–2 minutes per side until puffed and lightly golden. Drain on paper towels.
Place one bara on a piece of paper. Add a generous spoonful of channa. Top with a second bara. Drizzle with tamarind chutney and pepper sauce to taste.
Wetting your hands to stretch the bara dough prevents sticking without adding flour.
Shadow beni (culantro) is not the same as coriander but tastes similar — find it at Caribbean grocery stores.
Doubles are best eaten immediately while the bara are still warm and soft.
Add sliced avocado and cucumber for freshness.
Use split peas (dhal) instead of chickpeas for a different texture.
Make a baked bara version for a lighter option.
Bara are best fresh. Channa keeps refrigerated for 3 days. Reheat channa gently; fry fresh bara for serving.
Doubles was created in 1936 by Emamool Deen in Princes Town, Trinidad. He sold the early version for one cent each. As it became popular, the name 'doubles' was coined because he put two bara instead of one. Today, doubles vendors are a fixture of Trinidad's street food culture from before dawn.
Shadow beni (also called culantro or recao) is a herb with a more intense cilantro flavour. It is used across the Caribbean and Latin America. Fresh cilantro/coriander is an acceptable substitute.
Bara are traditionally fried — baking gives a different, less authentic texture. If you want a lighter option, use very little oil in a hot non-stick pan to shallow-fry.
Per serving · 6 servings total
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