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Trinidadian Doubles was a revelation to me and my family. What can be wrong about deeply flavorful, soft-fried bread covered with a thick, spiced chickpea gravy? But to explain how much we liked this dish here's a conversation between me and my husband after our first try:
John: WOW, that was good!
Me: Wasn't it, though?
John: Let's have it for dinner.
Me: I already started something.
John: How about tomorrow night?
Me: Yeah, we could probably do that.
John: That was one of the best things I've ever eaten.
Me: I agree...
John: Seriously, those were SO good.
Me: I loved it!
John: Is there any more?
Me (Not 100% honestly): Nope.
John: You should have made 100 of those.
Me. I know.
John: Wait, there are more.
Me: STOP! Those are for Jack. (Jack's our oldest son.)
John: Why does he get 3??
Me: He's currently running 9 miles.
John: I'd run 9 miles to eat more of them!!!
Questions About This Gluten Free Doubles Recipe
What is Urad Dal?
Urad Dal is a gluten-free flour made from roasted lentils. Before roasting, the seed coat of the lentils is removed.
Can Trinidad Doubles be frozen?
The bara (bread) part of doubles can easily be frozen before frying. Make sure you defrost and pat dry the bara so water droplets don't get into the oil and cause splattering.
Are doubles healthy?
This particular recipe is healthier than most! First of all, the chana filling (chickpeas in a seasoned sauce) is extremely healthy. The chickpeas are high in fiber and protein and there is nothing unhealthy added to the sauce. The bara (bread) is fried, which is the least healthy part about them. However, this gluten-free recipe from Moy Lovell utilizes very healthy lentil powder.
What kind of food is doubles?
Doubles is an addictively delicious street food from Trinidad. The roots of the dish are Indian, which you find in the chickpea (chana) filling. The bread is soft, fried, and flavorful. A snack food that cannot be beat.
What do you eat with doubles?
Coconut water, shredded cucumber, chutney and hot sauce.
About Moy Lowell, Contributor of this Gluten Free Doubles Recipe
To know Moy is to love her. She is deeply sincere, thoughtful, well-read, and kind. After years of unexplained illness, Moy discovered that she cannot eat any gluten at all. Since that moment, she has used her considerable baking skills to develop gluten-free recipes for many classic dishes, to open a gluten-free specialty baking shop, and to develop pre-mixed gluten free baking packages. In Moy's episode, we discuss her diagnosis at length as well as the significance of Doubles to Trinis. As you may have guessed, the dish has its roots in India, which was the perfect starting point for Moy to teach me about the unique history and diversity of Trinidad and Tobago.
Because this episode was already so rich and packed with information, we also released a bonus episode containing Moy’s best tips for baking gluten-free foods.
What Doubles Means to Moy and All Trinidadians
Doubles are a huge part of the food scene in Trinidad and Tobago. Everyone regardless of colour, social standing etc loves doubles and stand together on the side of the road eating them hot!
Learn More About Moy, Trinidad and Tobogo, and Gluten Free Doubles
042 Doubles! The Street Food That Profoundly Connects All Trinidadians
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Recipe
Gluten Free Doubles {Trinidadian Street Food}
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Soft, spiced fried bread topped with a thick, flavorful channa (chickpea) sauce. A popular street food that connects all Trinidadians.
Ingredients
For The Bara (Bread)
- 1 cup oat flour
- 1/2 tbsp ground Urdi dhal
- 1/3 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp yeast
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup water (add more by tablespoon)
- Oil for frying
- Tapioca starch for shaping the dough (another finely ground flour or starch will work)
For The Chana Gravy
- 1 can chickpeas
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
- 1/2 onion, chopped finely
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 -2 culantro (not cilantro)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cue Up The Episode!
Make sure you listen to Moy's episode on The Storied Recipe Podcast, "Doubles: The Street Food that 'Profoundly Connects' all of Trinidad and Tobago" while you make her gluten-free Doubles recipe!
Make The Recipe
To Make The Bara (Bread)
- Combine all of the dry ingredients, mix well.
- Add water to form a sticky dough (this might be more than stated in the recipe).
- Break the dough (bara) into smaller pieces about 2 tablespoons each.
- The bara will be sticky and difficult to work with initially. Keep your hands dusted with tapioca starch or form the rounds on a surface that has been dusted with the tapioca.
- Do not add more flour to the dough, it must be sticky. I also do not recommend working with oiled hands, the dough will absorb some of that oil affecting the quality of the cooked bara.
- Set the bara rounds aside on a lightly oiled surface to rest for a while, 30 minutes or so.
- Cover with oiled or non stick surface. For a better flavor and a softer bara, you can let the rounds slow rise in the refrigerator overnight.
- When the dough is ready, prepare a pot with oil for deep frying, the oil must be hot before starting!
- Before rolling out the bara, dust your hands and the work surface with tapioca starch.
- Flatten a piece of bara with our fingers to 3-4” round. The bara is delicate but workable once your surface is properly dusted. Working on parchment paper or a silpat mat is a great help. In this case you will flatten the dough and when you are ready raise one edge of the pachment or silpat mat to flip the dough onto your hand.
- Carefully place the bara into the hot oil. The bara will get air bubbles immediately as it hits the oil, when this happens flip the bara to the other side. The bara takes less than a minute to cook, bubbling and floating are sure signs that the bara is cooked.
- Drain on a paper towel and move at once to a plate, bowl etc. lined with a tea towel (kitchen towel). Keep it wrapped and covered. In between each bara I use parchment paper to prevent the bara from sticking together. The stacking of the bara contributes to the floppiness we expect from doubles.
- The bara is best served warm.
Make The Chana Gravy
- Heat oil in a saucepan
- Add the onion and the garlic, and saute on low heat for about a minute.
- Add the chickpeas with enough water to cover.
- Put the lid on the saucepan and on low heat, cook the chickpeas until it is soft enough to be crushed.
- With a fork mash the chickpeas, you do not need all the chickpeas to be broken down.
- Ensure that there is enough water so the chickpeas are somewhat like a thick gravy.
- Add the curry, cumin, culantro, and masala. Season with salt and pepper.
- Simmer for a few minutes. The gravy should be tasty.
Notes
Make sure you listen to Moy's episode on The Storied Recipe Podcast, "Doubles: The Street Food that 'Profoundly Connects' all of Trinidad and Tobago" while you make her gluten-free Doubles recipe!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Breads, Main
- Cuisine: Caribbean, Trinidadian
Nutrition
- Calories: 135
- Sugar: 1
- Sodium: 250
- Fat: 7
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Carbohydrates: 16
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 3
Would love to hear from you!