Doubles – The Ultimate Caribbean Sandwich

Many of us Guyanese are familiar with Doubles – the delightful snack made with channa curry and bara. Doubles are usually accompanied by various chutneys, sweet, spicy or savoury depending on your tastebuds. Doubles are eaten for breakfast, lunch or even a late afternoon snack and are quite filling. This street food is said to be invented in 1936 by Emamool Deen (also called Mamudeen) and his wife Raheman Rasulan Deen in Fairfield, Princes Town, Trinidad. Countries in the Caribbean, as well as Guyana, has adapted the Doubles as their own, adding their own twists. Doubles can be found in most shops and restaurants in Guyana but can also be made right at home!

Doubles – Photo by: Edmund Gall – https://www.flickr.com/photos/e_n_gall/9989432445

What is Doubles?

Doubles is a street food that originated in Trinidad. It is made of two baras which are flat, fried dough and curried chickpeas/channa. This sandwich gets a kick from the hot, pepper sauce normally added. Doubles is served with sour or chutneys including mango, cilantro, tamarind or even cucumber. It is believed that the dish was inspired by the Indian chole bhature/bhatura – curried channa and puri. The inventor of the dish, Mamudeen sold bara with the chickpeas but customers started to request double (two) baras instead of one. This was how the dish became known as Doubles. In Guyana, this dish has become quite popular and many Guyanese choose this as an alternative to egg balls, cassava balls pholourie and baiganee.

How to Make Doubles

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• l tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin (geera)
• 1/4 tsp. sugar
• l tsp. instant yeast
• 1/2 lb. channa (chick peas), soaked overnight or Tinned Chick Pea
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• l onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp. curry powder
• 1 1/4 cups of water
• pinch of ground geera (cumin)
• l tsp. salt
• hot pepper to taste
• l cup oil for frying pepper sauce

Method

Preparing the Dough

1. Combine flour, salt, turmeric, geera, sugar and yeast in a large bowl.
2. Add enough lukewarm water to make a soft dough.
3. Mix well, cover and let rise for 1 hour 30 minutes.

Making the Channa Curry

1. Boil soaked channa in salted water until tender and drain well.
2. Heat oil in a heavy skillet or iron pot, add garlic, onion and curry powder mixed with cup water.
3. Fry/ sautee for a couple minutes.
4. Add channa, then stir.
5. Cook for 5 minutes then add l cup of water, and geera, salt and pepper.
6. Cover and lower heat then simmer until chickpeas are soft. (Add more water if necessary).
7. When channa is finished it should be soft and moist.

Making Doubles

1. Punch down dough and leave to relax for ten to (10) to fifteen (15) minutes.
2. To shape bara, take about l tablespoon of dough, pat with both hands to flatten to a circle four (4) or five (5) inches in diameter.
3. Fry a few at a time in hot oil; turn once and drain on kitchen paper.
4. Make a sandwich by placing two (2) tablespoons cooked channa betweentwo (2) baras.
5. Add pepper sauce, tamarind sauce or whatever other condiments you like including mango or cucumber chutney.

Interesting Tip

• Dough may stick to hands so use water to moisten your palms.
• You can add as much channa as you like to your Doubles.

Doubles with chutney – Photo By Grueslayer – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50836125

Watch This – Trini-Style Doubles || Trini Street Food- Episode 93 | Matthew’s Guyanese Cooking

Doubles in Guyana

Although Doubles is a Trinidadian snack, it is taking Guyana by storm. It is a delicious addition to our Guyanese snacks and is becoming a popular item sold by food vendors and restaurants all over Georgetown. There is a Doubles to suit every tastebud whether it is sweet, spicy or savoury. Try a Doubles and find your favourite today!

Article References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doubles_(food)
• https://www.trinicatering.co.uk/food-recipes/trinidad-doubles-recipe/