Trinidad Doubles (Fried Bara with Curried Channa)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · with credit

Adapted from wetrinifood.com

Trinidad's great street breakfast: two pillowy turmeric-yellow fried flatbreads wrapped around soft, spiced curried chickpeas. It takes a soak, a rise and a fry, but you end up with a dozen doubles that taste like a Port of Spain roadside stall.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground turmeric (saffron powder)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin (geera)
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 3 cups vegetable oil, for frying

• 2 cups dried chickpeas
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin (geera)
• 3 leaves culantro (chadon beni), chopped
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper, whole or minced to taste
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups water

Instructions

1. The night before, cover the dried chickpeas with plenty of cold water and leave them to soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse before cooking.
2. Make the bara dough: whisk the flour, turmeric, 1/2 tsp cumin, yeast, sugar and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl. Pour in the warm water and mix to a soft, slightly sticky dough, then knead on a lightly oiled surface for 5 minutes until smooth. Rub the ball with a little oil, cover the bowl and leave somewhere warm for 1 to 2 hours, until doubled.
3. While the dough rises, put the drained chickpeas in a pot, cover with 2 inches of water and boil for 45 to 60 minutes until they crush easily between your fingers. Drain, keeping 1 cup of the cooking liquid. (In a pressure cooker, 20 minutes at high pressure does the same job.)
4. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a deep pan over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and softened. Stir in the curry powder and 1 tsp cumin and let them sizzle for 30 seconds, adding a splash of water if the pan looks dry.
5. Add the cooked chickpeas, 2 cups water, the culantro, scotch bonnet, 1 tsp salt and the black pepper. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the liquid thickens into a loose gravy. Crush about a quarter of the chickpeas against the side of the pot to help it along, and top up with the reserved cooking liquid if it gets too thick. Fish out the whole pepper before serving.
6. Punch down the risen dough and divide it into 12 equal balls. Set them on an oiled tray, cover and rest for 15 minutes.
7. Heat the frying oil in a deep pot or karahi to 350°F (175°C) — a scrap of dough should float and puff within a few seconds.
8. With oiled hands, flatten each ball into a thin 4 to 5 inch disc, stretching from the centre outward. Keep them thin; they will puff in the oil.
9. Fry one bara at a time for 10 to 15 seconds per side, pressing gently with a slotted spoon so it puffs. Pull them out while still pale yellow — browning makes them stiff. Drain on a rack or paper towels and stack them so they stay soft.
10. To serve, lay two baras slightly overlapping on a square of paper, spoon a generous scoop of hot channa into the middle, add pepper sauce or chutney to taste and fold the sides over. Eat immediately, with both hands.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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