Authentic Trinidadian Doubles Recipe
Authentic Trinidadian Doubles Recipe
Doubles is Trinidad and Tobago’s most iconic street food — and arguably one of the greatest fast foods on the planet. Two soft, lightly spiced bara flatbreads cradling a heap of curried channa (chickpeas), finished with tamarind sauce, coconut chutney, and pepper sauce. In Trinidad, doubles vendors start before dawn and sell out by mid-morning. In Australia, the Caribbean diaspora makes them at home — and now, with our authentic bara mix, you can too.
What Are Doubles?
Doubles is a Trinidadian street food with Indian-Caribbean roots, developed in the 1930s by Emamool Deen. The name comes from the two pieces of bara (fried flatbread) that sandwich the filling. The bara is made from flour, yeast, turmeric, and cumin — soft, slightly chewy, and golden. The filling is curried channa (chickpeas stewed in a fragrant curry sauce). The finishing condiments — tamarind sauce, cucumber chutney, shadow beni sauce, and pepper sauce — are what elevates it from simple to spectacular.
Using Caribbean Sydney Bara Mix
This recipe uses our Bara Mix ‘Doubles’ Flour — an authentic Trinidadian bara mix that takes all the guesswork out of the flatbreads. Just add water, rest the dough, and fry. It contains the right blend of flour, turmeric, cumin, and yeast already measured and balanced. Available online with Australia-wide delivery from Caribbean Sydney.
Authentic Trinidadian Doubles Recipe
Course: Recipes, Street Food, SnackCuisine: Trinidadian, CaribbeanDifficulty: Easy8
servings20
minutes30
minutes300
kcal30
mins50
minutesTrinidad’s legendary street food — soft bara flatbreads filled with curried channa chickpeas, finished with tamarind sauce and pepper sauce. Made easy with Caribbean Sydney bara mix. Makes 8–10 doubles.
Ingredients
- For the Bara (using bara mix)
1 packet Caribbean Sydney Bara Mix ‘Doubles’ Flour
Warm water (as per packet instructions — approximately 200–220ml)
Oil for deep frying (vegetable or sunflower oil)- For the Curried Channa (Chickpeas)
2 x 400g cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 medium onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons curry powder (Caribbean or Madras style)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
250ml water or vegetable stock
- For Serving (condiments)
3 tablespoons tamarind paste (Caribbean Sydney 100% Natural Tamarind Paste) mixed with 3 tbsp water and 1 tsp sugar to make tamarind sauce
Caribbean hot sauce or pepper sauce (to taste)
1 small cucumber, grated and seasoned with salt (cucumber chutney — optional)
Fresh coriander or chandon beni (culantro) if available
Directions
- Bara
- Prepare the bara dough according to the packet instructions on the Caribbean Sydney Bara Mix. Typically: add warm water gradually to the mix, knead into a soft dough, cover with a damp cloth and rest for 30 minutes.
- Heat oil in a deep pan or wok to 170–180°C (enough oil to shallow-fry or deep-fry — at least 3cm deep).
- With oiled hands, pinch off a golf ball-sized piece of dough. Flatten gently with your palm into a thin disc approximately 10cm in diameter — don’t make it too thick or it won’t cook through.
- Carefully lower the bara into the hot oil. It will puff up within seconds. Fry for 45–60 seconds per side until lightly golden. Do not brown too much — bara should be pale gold and soft, not crispy.
- Drain on paper towel. Repeat with remaining dough. Keep warm in a low oven (80°C) while you cook the channa.
- Curried Channa
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3–4 minutes until softened.
- Add garlic and ginger, cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add curry powder, cumin, and turmeric. Stir for 30 seconds to bloom the spices.
- Add drained chickpeas and water or stock.
- Stir well to coat everything in the curry sauce.
Season with salt. - Simmer uncovered for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces to a thick, saucy consistency. The channa should be soft but hold its shape.
Taste and adjust seasoning. - Assembly
- Place one bara on a piece of wax paper or a plate.
- Spoon a generous heap of curried channa onto the centre of the bara.
- Add a second bara on top.
- Drizzle with tamarind sauce, add a few drops of pepper sauce to taste, top with cucumber chutney and fresh coriander.
- Eat immediately — doubles are best fresh and hot.
Notes
- Calories | 280 kcal
Protein | 10g
Fat | 9g
Carbohydrates | 40g
Fibre | 6g
Sugar | 3g
Sodium | 420mg - Values are estimates. Varies with oil absorption during frying and condiment quantities.
Tips for Perfect Doubles at Home
- Don’t overwork the bara dough — mix until just combined and rest well. Overworked dough makes tough bara.
- Oil your hands — the dough is sticky. Keep a bowl of oil nearby to coat your palms before shaping each bara.
- Oil temperature is critical — too hot and the bara burns before cooking through. Too cool and it’s oily and dense. 170–175°C is the sweet spot.
- The channa should be saucy — not dry. It needs enough sauce to soak slightly into the bara when assembled.
- Tamarind sauce is not optional — it’s the flavour anchor of the whole dish. Use real tamarind paste, not lime juice.
- Make the channa the day before — like most curries, curried channa is even better the next day.
What Is Shadow Beni and Where Can I Find It in Australia?
Chandon beni (also called culantro or Mexican coriander) is the herb used in authentic Trinidadian doubles — it has a stronger, more complex flavour than regular coriander. It’s difficult to find in mainstream Australian supermarkets but can be found in some Asian grocery stores. Regular coriander is a perfectly acceptable substitute for home cooking.
Shop the Ingredients
Make authentic Trinidadian doubles at home — all the key ingredients are available at Caribbean Sydney, delivered anywhere in Australia:
- Bara Mix ‘Doubles’ Flour — the authentic Trinidadian bara mix → shop link
- 1kg 100% Natural Tamarind Paste — for the tamarind sauce → shop link
- Caribbean Hot Sauce / Pepper Sauce — the essential finishing condiment
- Caribbean Groceries — browse all pantry staples