Doubles
intro
Beloved handheld street food of fluffy turmeric-spiced fried flatbreads sandwiched around tangy curried chickpeas, bright with warm spices and zesty tamarind.
Ingredients
Steps
Mix the bara dough
In a large mixing bowl, combine 240g all-purpose flour, 7g instant yeast, 10g granulated sugar, 4g baking powder, 3g ground turmeric, 2g ground cumin, and 3g kosher salt. Stir in 180ml warm (43C/110F) water and 15ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil, mixing until a shaggy, soft dough forms. Knead for 5 minutes on a lightly oiled surface until smooth, then return to the bowl, cover with a damp tea towel, and let rest in a warm 24C/75F spot for 1 hour until doubled in size.
Cook the channa filling
While the dough rises, heat 30ml (2 tbsp) vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat (175C/350F pan surface). Add 150g finely diced yellow onion, sauté for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in 12g minced garlic, 10g grated ginger, 15g Madras curry powder, 6g remaining ground cumin, and 10g minced seeded scotch bonnet pepper, cooking for 1 minute until fragrant. Drain the soaked 200g chickpeas, add to the pan along with 500ml (2 cups) water, and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 40 minutes until chickpeas are tender but hold their shape, then stir in the remaining 5g kosher salt and 15g (1 tbsp) tamarind paste, mashing 1/4 of the chickpeas lightly with the back of a spoon to thicken the curry.
Portion and rest dough
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down firmly to release all trapped air, then divide it into 8 equal 50g portions. Roll each portion into a tight, smooth ball, place on a lightly oiled baking sheet, cover with the damp tea towel, and let rest for 15 minutes at room temperature to relax the gluten, which will make shaping easier.
Fry the bara flatbreads
Heat the remaining 455ml vegetable oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed pot to 190C/375F, using a clip-on candy thermometer to monitor temperature consistently. Working one at a time, flatten each rested dough ball into a 10cm/4 inch wide, 3mm-thick disc with well-oiled fingers (do not use flour, as it will burn and discolor the oil). Carefully lower the disc into the hot oil, fry for 10 seconds, then flip with a slotted spoon and fry for another 10-15 seconds until fully puffed and pale golden on both sides. Remove from oil, drain on a wire rack lined with paper towels, and repeat with all remaining dough, adjusting stovetop heat as needed to keep oil at a steady 190C.
Assemble and serve
For each serving, stack two warm bara flatbreads on a plate. Spoon 150g (2/3 cup) of the warm curried chickpea filling evenly over the top bara, then sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro and a small dollop of the remaining 15g tamarind paste if desired. Serve immediately while the bread is crisp and puffed and the filling is hot.
Tips
2.For a faster shortcut, substitute soaked dried chickpeas with two 400g cans of rinsed, drained chickpeas, reducing simmer time to 15 minutes to let spices infuse into the curry.
3.Keep cooked bara warm on a wire rack set over a baking sheet in a 95C/200F oven while frying remaining breads to prevent sogginess caused by stacking hot bread on a solid plate.
OMG I made these for my family’s Sunday dinner and everyone went back for seconds! The bara was perfectly crispy on the outside and soft inside, and the curried chickpea filling had just the right kick. I topped mine with a little mango chutney and tamarind sauce like we get at the local Trinidadian spot near my house, and it tasted identical. 10/10 will be adding this to our regular meal rotation!
Pretty solid recipe! I messed up the first batch of bara because I rolled them too thick, so they came out a little doughy in the middle, but the second batch was chef’s kiss. Cook time is pretty accurate if you prep the chickpeas while the dough rests, just don’t skip resting the dough like I almost did. Great for meal prep too, the chickpeas reheat really well in the microwave.
SO good! As someone who’s been trying to add more vegan street food recipes to my potluck rotation, this was a total game changer. I brought a big batch to my office potluck last week and even the meat-eaters were asking for the recipe. The curry flavor is so warm and cozy, not too spicy for people who don’t handle heat well. Obsessed!
I grew up eating doubles every Saturday morning from the vendor by my grandma’s house in Queens, and this recipe is the closest I’ve ever gotten to that nostalgic taste at home! My kids loved them — they had fun helping me roll out the bara, and they kept sneaking bites of the chickpea filling while I was cooking. Quick question — can I freeze the leftover cooked bara for later?
Flavor was great, but man this was way more work than I expected for a weeknight meal. I spent almost 2 and a half hours total between prep and cook time, and my kitchen was a mess from frying all the flatbreads. Tasted good, just not something I’ll make on a busy night.
Just made these for a post-hike snack with my partner and we are both stuffed! I added a little extra scotch bonnet to the chickpeas because we love heat, and it was perfect. The bara had that perfect chewy, crispy texture I love. Only thing I wish the recipe noted was how hot the oil needs to be — I had my first few come out super oily because the oil was too low.
Just pulled these off the stove and they smell incredible! I’m making them for a Caribbean-themed potluck tomorrow and I know they’re gonna be a hit. I did a test bite and the curry blend is chef’s kiss, I just wish I’d picked up some pepper sauce to go with them. Do you think a dash of hot sauce on top will work as a substitute?
Wait, is this supposed to be as messy as it is? Because I’m covered in chickpea filling and flour right now and it’s 100% worth it. I’ve been watching TikTok videos of doubles for months and finally worked up the courage to make them, and they taste better than the ones I got at the food truck by my campus last semester. No notes, will make again even if I have to clean my whole kitchen after.
I was so excited to make these, but I have celiac so I swapped the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free flour blend, and the bara totally fell apart when I tried to fry them. The chickpea filling was amazing, but I couldn’t get the flatbreads to hold together at all. Bummed because the flavor was there.
Made these for a date night in with my partner who is Trinidadian, and he said they tasted exactly like his mom’s! I was so nervous I’d mess them up, but the instructions were super easy to follow even for someone who’s never made Caribbean food before. We topped them with cucumber chutney and extra pepper sauce, and we ate the whole batch in one sitting. 10/10, relationship win!
Made a big batch of these for my weekly meal prep, and they’re holding up great! I packed the chickpeas and bara separately so the bara doesn’t get soggy, and I just assemble them at work for lunch. Only thing is, the chickpeas are a little more watery than I expected — did I do something wrong? I simmered them for the full 20 minutes like the recipe said.