AlwaysHungryNY: All About Doubles

Arthur Bovino — March 25, 2009

Picture a Caribbean setting. It’s dawn. Hungry Trinidadians en route to work, stop money in hand to surround a street-side food vendor. He furiously spoons curried channa into two pieces of bara, dresses them with sauces and condiments, wraps, flips and exchanges it for cash then begins the hypnotic rhythm again. Customers are so eager to eat, they’re practically still on line, untwisting wax paper ends and eating something so hot, steam rises into the warm air.

The clamored-for snacks above are called ‘Doubles,’ a vegetarian street food from Trinidad. A Doubles consists of two pieces of fried, usually golden, flat, palm-sized pieces of quick bread, served with chickpea curry, called channa. The bara, as the bread is called, resembles a fried version of Indian naan or roti. The presentation of Doubles varies slightly. Depending on the vendor, they could resemble a soft-taco, a sandwich, or a mini-burrito. While it’s possible to find Doubles throughout the day, they’re predominantly enjoyed either for breakfast or as a late-night snack after or during ‘liming,’ a Trinidadian term for hanging out.

Doubles’ likely originated as a Punjabi dish called chole bhatura (pictured) brought to Trinidad between 1845 and 1917 by Indian contract laborers imported to work on plantations after slaves were emancipated in 1834. Today, the most obvious difference between the dishes is that the chickpea curry (chole) of the chole bhatura is not served on the bread, but separately. Torn-off pieces of the bhatura are then used to pick up and eat the curry. Taste-wise, chole can be slightly thicker, darker and features more ingredients and spices like ginger, tomato, chili powder, clove, garam masala and mint.

A treatise could be written about Doubles’ ingredients and technique. For instance, some cooks swear that if it’s not served with shado beni (a Trinidadian herb) it doesn’t deserve to be called Doubles. Others claim the exact opposite. So too it is with bara thickness, channa seasoning and even serving style. At its most basic, bara (also known as ‘skins’) is made from: flour, baking powder and yeast, flavored with either turmeric, saffron, split pea powder or some combination of all three. Channa is usually made from: canned or dried, soaked chickpeas cooked in oil, often with onion and garlic, flavored with curry powder and cumin.

Like its origins, the etymology of the term ‘Doubles,’ is debatable. Some attribute the creation of the name to students attending Trinidad’s Naparima College during the 1900s. Supposedly, vendors sold a single bara with chickpea curry. Hungry students are said to have asked for ‘a double’ or ‘doubles,’ meaning two bara, each filled with curry. Don’t let the name confuse you; no matter the serving style or ingredients, one order of Doubles consists of two bara (two Doubles, will mean four bara, etc.).

Doubles are food for the everyman, both vendor and customer. They’re quick and cheap to buy (averaging TT$3.50 in Port-of-Spain and $1-2 in New York) and relatively inexpensive to make. Anyone can be a Doubles vendor; one of the reasons recipes can be contentious. It’s such a staple of Trinidadian culture and diet, it’s not uncommon for Trinidadian newspaper editorials to decry hikes in flour prices and subsequent Doubles price increases. And, high customer traffic makes Doubles vendors the frequent targets of crime.

There are four condiments which usually accompany Doubles: a hot pepper sauce made from Scotch Bonnet peppers, shado beni chutney (shado beni being a leafy herb which grows in Trinidad also known as culentro, Japanese saw leaf or Mexican coriander), tamarind sauce, and kuchela (a green mango chutney). All four can be found in most East Indian grocers or delis. You can make your own passable substitutes if you have trouble finding the prepackaged versions. For instance, for the hot sauce: blend Scotch Bonnet peppers with vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. For shado beni chutney, blend: 10 shado beni leaves, one garlic clove, ¼ Scotch Bonnet pepper, ¼ cup water and salt to taste (use cilantro if shado beni is unavailable).

Some argue for the use of cumin and curry in the bara dough, others argue against it. Similarly some cooks contend that split pea flour is essential to an authentic “skin.” To make your own Doubles at home, follow the instructions below, adapted from several recipes under the guidance of veteran doubles-maker, Ms. Uclan Fermin, of the famous Fermin Doubles from Holy Cross College, Arima in Trinidad.

Doubles Recipe
Time: About 1 ½ hours
Makes: 6-8 Doubles (12-14 bara skins)

For the Bara dough:
¼ cup dried yellow split peas (ground)
2/3 cup warm water
¼ tsp sugar
1 tsp active dry yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ tsp ground turmeric or saffron powder
½ tsp ground cumin (optional)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1-2 cups vegetable oil (for frying)

For the Channa:
2 15.5 oz cans of chickpeas or 2 cups dried chickpeas (soaked overnight in 6 cups of water)
2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ tablespoons curry powder
½ tsp ground cumin
Pinch saffron
2 cups water
Salt and ground black pepper (to taste)
Condiments:
Hot pepper sauce, kuchela, shado beni and tamarind sauce

Procedure:

1) Use a food processor to grind ¼ cup dried yellow split peas then add in a bowl with water, sugar, yeast, and baking powder. Let stand about six minutes until foamy.

2) Add together in a separate bowl: flour, turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper. Whisk.

3) When foamy, stir yeast mixture into dried mixture to form dough (if dough seems dry, add a little warm water). Knead dough two minutes, form ball, cover with damp cloth and allow to rise in a warm place for one hour or until it doubles in size.

4) If using dried chickpeas for channa, drain water then simmer chickpeas in six new cups of water for one hour to soften. Drain. If using canned chickpeas, rinse.

5) In a pan, heat the oil. Then add diced onion and sauté until golden-yellow. Add minced garlic and sauté one minute. Add curry powder, ground cumin and pinch saffron then stir. Add ¼ cup water.

6) Mix in chickpeas and cover. Simmer for five minutes then add remaining water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then simmer, uncovered until chickpeas become soft (about 20 minutes). Note, you may want to add more water as moisture is absorbed and evaporates.

7) Punch down the risen bara dough, then rest it, 10 minutes. Tear off golf ball sized pieces of dough, roll, and then flatten into discs, 3 ½ inch diameter each. Set aside and continue until no dough remains.

8) In a deep frying pan or wok, heat oil until moderately high. Slide bara discs into oil and fry about 10 seconds or until slightly brown and puffy, then flip, wait another 8 seconds and remove to paper towels or drying rack. Repeat until dough is finished.

9) There are three conventional ways to serve your Doubles, the last being the most advanced:
a. Lay two bara ‘skins’ on wax paper side by side. Spoon two to three full tablespoons of channa in each bara then drizzle tamarind sauce and shado beni over channa. Add half-teaspoon kuchela and drizzle with hot pepper sauce. Serve.
b. Lay one bara skin on wax paper. Spoon three to four full tablespoons of channa atop bara. Drizzle tamarind sauce and shado beni over channa. Add half-teaspoon kuchela and drizzle with hot pepper sauce. Cover with second bara skin. Serve.
c. Don’t try this at home…or do but be aware it’s an art form! Overlap two bara skins on wax paper. Spoon three to four full tablespoons of channa onto top bara. Drizzle tamarind sauce and shado beni over channa. Add half-teaspoon kuchela and drizzle with hot pepper sauce. Fold bara onto itself, closing wax paper edges together, twisting the paper edges. Flip twice and serve.