According to the Menu: Doubles

Hello again hungry fashionista, today I come to you with a fantastic recipe for a Trinidadian classic, Doubles. As you should already know, I have West indian roots (Barbados, Haiti and Cuba) and I am certainly not stranger to Caribbean cuisine, that's why last week when I was in New York and my friend, Kayla, asked us if we wanted to go to the local Trinidadian restaurant, I was more than happy to say yes. There was so much wonderful Caribbean cuisine to choose from, like Roti and  bake and shark but I decided to get Doubles because they are such a great portable meal. After my first bite I was instantly hooked. I was craving Doubles for the next two days after that but unfortunately I never got to go back to that Trinidadian restaurant before heading home. So I decided to make my own. I found this recipe while scouring the internet and they came out beautifully. Check out below for my step by step instructions on what I did to make these delectable little treats.



For Dough:

• 1/3 cup warm water (100°-110°F).

• 1/4 teaspoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For filling (curried channa):

• 2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in 6 cups of water, or 1 (16-ounce) can chickpeas

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder (see Tips, below)

• Pinch of ground cumin

• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

For assembly:

• 1 cup vegetable oil

• Hot pepper sauce (see Tips, below)

• Kuchela (see Tips, below)

• Thinly shredded cucumber

1. Make dough:

In small bowl, stir together water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 or 6 minutes.

In large bowl whisk together flour, salt, turmeric, cumin, and pepper. Stir in yeast mixture, then add additional warm water, if needed, until mixture comes together into slightly firm dough. Knead dough in bowl 2 minutes, then form into ball and cover with damp cloth. Let dough rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled, about 1 hour.

2. Make filling:
If using dried chickpeas, drain and add 6 cups fresh water. Simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Drain. If using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse well with cold water.

In heavy skillet over moderately high heat, heat oil. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Mix in curry powder and sauté 30 seconds, then add 1/4 cup water.

Stir in chickpeas, cover, and simmer 5 minutes. Add 1 cup water and cumin. Season with salt and pepper and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, until chickpeas are very tender, approximately 20 minutes

3. Assemble:
Punch down risen dough and allow to rest 10 minutes.

Dampen hands, pinch off walnut-size piece of dough, and flatten into 4 1/2-inch diameter circle. Set aside. Repeat with remaining dough.

In deep frying pan over moderately high heat, heat oil. Fry dough circles, in batches if necessary, until lightly browned, about 40 seconds per side. Drain on paper towels or on wire rack set over baking sheet.

Place 2 tablespoons filling on 1 piece fried dough. Add pepper sauce, kuchela, and cucumber. Top with another piece fried dough. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Serve as snack or appetizer.

Notes:·
· The hot sauce traditionally served with doubles is made from yellow habañero peppers. It's also know as pepper sauce. 
· Kuchela, a traditional condiment for doubles, is a spicy chutney made from shredded green mangoes. It is often available bottled in West Indian markets, but any bottled mango chutney will serve nicely. I mixed my Kuchela with a bit of sugar which added a nice sweet spicy flavor to the doubles.