Trinidadian · Lunch & handhelds

Doubles

Name: Doubles
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 9 h 50 min
Yield: 8 doubles
Cuisine: Trinidadian
Ingredients: 8 ounces dried chickpeas; 6 cups water, plus more for soaking; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 2 tablespoons neutral oil; 1 small yellow onion, finely diced; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablespoon Trinidad curry powder; 2 teaspoons ground roasted cumin, divided; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided; 3 cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons instant yeast; 1 teaspoon brown sugar; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, divided; 1 1/4 cups warm water; 6 cups neutral oil, for frying; 1/2 cup tamarind concentrate; 1/2 cup hot water; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 small cucumber, coarsely grated; 1/4 cup chopped chadon beni or cilantro; Trinidad-style pepper sauce, for serving

Trinidadian doubles with two soft turmeric bara, loose cumin-scented channa, tamarind sauce, cucumber, chadon beni, and bright pepper heat.

About 9 hr 50 minTotal

About 1 hr 50 minActive

$Cost

AdvancedDifficulty

Makes 8 doubles

Equipment

Use a high-temperature instant-read thermometer between batches; do not leave it in the pot.
Simple clip-on pick
KitchenAid Fry Thermometer · KQ907
View at Amazon
For frequent frying and alarms
ThermoWorks ChefAlarm · TX-1100
View at ThermoWorks
Another workable path: Use a high-temperature instant-read thermometer between batches; do not leave it in the pot.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We compared continuous readability, clip stability, temperature recovery help, cleaning guidance, and exact model identity. A current independent comparison informed the simple clip-on choice; manufacturer documentation established care and the alarm system's included parts. Kwilt has not calibrated or fried with these thermometers.
KitchenAid Fry Thermometer · KQ907: Its curved paddle and silicone-coated clip stay close to the pot, giving you a continuous oil reading without another screen or battery. Trade-off: It has no alarm, and KitchenAid says to hand wash rather than submerge it.
ThermoWorks ChefAlarm · TX-1100: High and low alarms make the oil drop between batches hard to miss, and the same system can monitor roasting, bread, and candy. Trade-off: It costs substantially more and brings a cabled probe, case, and controls that are unnecessary for an occasional batch of fish tacos.
Another workable path: If you already own a suitable high-temperature instant-read thermometer, check the oil before and between batches. Do not leave it in the pot unless its maker allows continuous high-temperature use.
Sources
Food Network tested comparison
KitchenAid thermometer care
ThermoWorks ChefAlarm

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 8 doubles

8 ounces dried chickpeas
6 cups water, plus more for soaking
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons neutral oil
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Trinidad curry powder
2 teaspoons ground roasted cumin, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground turmeric, divided
1 1/4 cups warm water
6 cups neutral oil, for frying
1/2 cup tamarind concentrate
1/2 cup hot water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 small cucumber, coarsely grated
1/4 cup chopped chadon beni or cilantro
Trinidad-style pepper sauce, for serving

Instructions

Soak chickpeas in abundant water 8 to 12 hours. Drain, add 6 cups fresh water and baking soda, and simmer until very tender, 45 to 70 minutes. Reserve 2 cups cooking liquid, then drain.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil and cook onion until soft. Add garlic, curry powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric for 1 minute. Add chickpeas, 1 1/2 cups reserved liquid, and 1 teaspoon salt; simmer until loose and spoonable, crushing a few chickpeas for body, 15 minutes.
Mix flour, yeast, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, remaining cumin, turmeric, and salt. Add warm water and knead into a very soft tacky dough. Oil the surface, cover, and rise until doubled, 60 to 90 minutes. Divide into sixteen oiled balls and rest 15 minutes.
Combine tamarind concentrate, hot water, and 2 tablespoons brown sugar; simmer until lightly syrupy, 5 minutes, then cool. Squeeze excess water from cucumber and mix it with chadon beni.
Heat frying oil to . With oiled hands stretch each dough ball into a thin 5-inch round. Fry one at a time until just cooked and still flexible, about 20 to 30 seconds per side; drain and keep covered so the bara stay soft.
For each serving overlap two bara, spoon loose channa over the center, and add tamarind sauce, cucumber-herb relish, and pepper sauce to taste. Fold loosely and eat warm by hand.

TrinidadIndo-Trinidadian street cooking

From the table

About this recipe

Doubles is Indo-Trinidadian street food built from two soft fried bara and loose curried channa, finished to order with tangy, herbal, cucumber, and pepper condiments.

Doubles is Indo-Trinidadian street food built from two fried bara and seasoned channa. Tamarind, pepper, cucumber, chadon beni, coconut, and kuchela toppings vary by vendor. This recipe keeps the two-bara form and intentionally loose chickpeas; it does not turn doubles into a dry closed sandwich. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Follow Trinidadian vendor structure closely, authoring all core components from scratch while choosing a concise tamarind-cucumber-chadon beni condiment set from the legitimate range.

Sources

Dinner does not stop at the recipe