Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives: Pam’s Trinidadian Caribbean Kitchen
12 Jan 2010 Leave a Comment
in Food Tags: Trinidad and Tobago
Barra Recipe – Trinidad Doubles Recipe Step 1
4 cups – all purpose flour
2 teaspoons – saffron powder
1 teaspoon – ground geera (cumin, preferable roasted)
3 teaspoons – yeast
½ teaspoon – sugar
1 teaspoon – salt (adjust to taste)
Canola oil for frying
Put 1 cup of lukewarm water in a small bowl, add sugar and sprinkle with yeast. Then leave mixture until it swells to twice its size.
Combine flour, salt, saffron and geera in a large bowl.
Add yeast to flour mixture along with 1¼ cups of water and mix into slightly firm dough. Mix well but try to handle dough as little as possible, cover and let it rise to double its size, then form dough into 36 small balls and then let rise for another 10 to 15 minutes.
Take a ball of the barra dough and pat into a flattened 4-inch circle with both hands. If the dough sticks to your hands dampen hands with water. Fry immediately after shaping in hot oil, turning once. Drain on paper towels and allow to cool to room temperature.
Channa Recipe – Trinidad Doubles Recipe Step 2
1 (16oz) tin – channa (chick peas or garbanzo beans)
1 teaspoon – ground coriander
1 tablespoon – ground geera (cumin, preferably roasted)
2 tablespoons – canola oil
1 small – onion
4 cloves – garlic
2 tablespoons – chive
½ teaspoon – turmeric powder
½ teaspoon each – salt and black pepper (adjust to taste)
Dice onion, garlic and chive, keeping each separate.
Put oil in a pot along with finely chopped onion and saute on medium heat until onion begins to caramelize.
Add all remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Add enough water to cover channa by about 1½ inches, and then boil channa until it’s very soft. Depending on the type of pot you use, and how often you remove the lid to stir, you may need to add water during this process. When you are finished cooking there must be some liquid left in pot, so don’t let it dry out.
Preperation Notes Doubles venders don’t use tinned channa. We use it to reduce preparation and cooking time, but if you use tinned channa it must be thoroughly washed. 1¼ cups (8ozs) dry channa can be substituted but it must be presoaked for 24 hours, changing the water at least twice during that period, and then pressure-cooked for about 1 hour.
Trinidad Doubles Recipe Final Step
With all the elements prepared, it is now time for the last step in the assembly of your Trinidad Doubles recipe. On a plate, place 2 barra side-by-side but overlapping slightly. Now, add a tablespoonful of channa and a liberal garnish of cucumber chutney, then finally, a drizzle of Trinidad pepper sauce to create the level of spiciness you desire. Enjoy…
