Trinidadian Doubles

Method

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1. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, turmeric and cumin, then add the warm water and knead 6 minutes to a soft, slightly sticky dough.

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2. Cover and prove 1 1/2 hours until doubled.

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3. For the channa, boil the soaked chickpeas 50 minutes until soft. Drain, keeping the liquid.

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4. Cook the onion in the oil for 8 minutes, add the garlic for 1 minute.

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5. Mix the curry powder with 4 tablespoons of water to a paste, add it to the pan and fry 3 minutes until the oil separates and it smells cooked.

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6. Add the chickpeas, geera, turmeric, salt and 600 ml of the cooking liquid. Simmer 25 minutes, mashing about a third of the chickpeas against the pan, until thick and a little soupy.

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7. Stir in the chadon beni and keep warm.

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8. Knock the dough back and divide into 16 balls. Rest 20 minutes covered.

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9. Flatten each into a 10 cm disc with oiled hands and fry at 180C for 20 seconds a side — they should puff and stay pale gold, never crisp.

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10. Drain briefly. Lay two bara on a square of greaseproof paper, spoon channa on top, add tamarind, cucumber chutney and pepper sauce, and fold the paper around it.

    Mark done

Chef’s Tips

• Twenty seconds a side. Bara should be soft, not crisp.
• Fry the curry paste until the oil separates before the chickpeas go in.
• Keep the channa loose. It has to soak into the bara.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• Pepper sauce and tamarind
• A cold Carib beer
• Mauby

Storage & Reheating

The channa keeps 4 days and freezes 3 months. Fry the bara to order.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.