Delicious Doubles

I first tasted doubles about five years ago, and boy, I won't ever forget that day.

I had just moved back to Barbados after being away for 8 years and I was then working at McCann–Erickson Barbados as Creative Associate. One of my colleagues was about to leave for lunch (they were going to get some doubles they told me). What are doubles? I curiously asked. They were amazed to hear that I knew nothing of these doubles and insisted they would bring some back for me to try.

Boy, boy, boy … these were soooooooo good. Big up to the doubles people at the bottom of Rendezvous Hill Christ Church Barbados.

If you like roti and spicy food, I can assure you—you will love doubles.

Here is the recipe:

Channa Filling

Ingredients

• 500g Garbanzo beans

(preferably dried—you can also use canned but it's not as good)

• 10.5 cups of water

• 1tbs Garam Massala

• 2.5tbs Curry

• 3tbs Canola oil

• 1 Garlic bulb—crushed

• 2 Onions finely chopped

• 1tsp Roasted Gheera

• 1 Hot pepper (bondamanjak in creole)

• Salt & pepper

Method

• Soak the Garbanzo beans overnight.

• Boil in 8 cups of water on a low fire for 3 hours

with a little garam massala.

• Drain the Garbanzo beans.

• Heat large saucepan, add oil, garlic and onion

(in the meantime mix garam massala and curry with 1/2 cup of water)

add massala mix to saucepan and stir for a few minutes.

• Add Garbanzo beans, hot pepper and gheera to large saucepan.

Stir until all the bean are well coated.

• Add 1.5 cups of water and stir.

• Cover saucepan and simmer until beans are very soft (1 hr)

stirring from time to time. If water is drying out,

just add about 1/2 cup more.

• Turn off the the fire, add 1/4 tsp gheera and salt and pepper to taste.

Stir well and leave covered for about 20 minutes.

Bara bread

Ingredients

• 1lb of flour

• 1tsp of salt

• 1/2tsp instant yeast

• 1tsp saffron powder (or curry powder)

1/4 tsp gheera

• 1/2 tsp ground pepper

• enough water to make a slightly firm dough

• oil for frying

Method

• In a large bowl combine flour, salt, yeast, saffron, gheera,

ground pepper.

• Make a hole in the middle and add enough water to make

a slight firm dough (about 6oz). You can knead by hand or

in your mixer with the dough hook.

• Cover with plastic warp and leave to rise 1.5 hrs.

• Knock back dough and let rest for 15 min.

• Take 1tbs of dough roll into a ball and flatten.

• Roll gently to a round (5 inches in diameter)

• Heat oil, and fry for about 5 sec. on each side.

While frying the bara will swell.

• Remove and drain.

Chow down time

Get one bara bread, scoop some channa mix on top

add some hot sauce, Tamarind Chuyney and Kutchela.

Cover with a second bara bread. Now it's time to enjoy!

Bon appetite.

Write and let me know if you enjoyed it.OK.