Trinidadian Doubles

Transport yourself to the sunny shores of Trinidad with these aptly named Trinidadian doubles, recipe from Gaz Oakley.

Prep time: …
Cooking time: …
Makes: 8 portions

Ingredients

Bara (bread):
195g strong white bread Flour
195g plain flour
1tsp sea salt
1tsp turmeric
1tsp ground cumin
2tsp caster sugar
1tsp baking powder
2tsp active dried yeast
3tbs olive oil
1.5L vegetable oil

Curry 
4tbs vegetable oil
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 scotch bonnet chilli
Thumb sized piece ginger
2tsp salt
1tsp turmeric
1tsp all spice
1tsp ground coriander
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp paprika
560g canned chickpeas (drained weight)
1 tin coconut milk
2tbs tomato puree
1bs coconut flour
1 Lime
Handful chopped coriander

Cucumber Salsa
1 cucumber
1/2tsp salt
Pinch chilli flakes 

1. Bara bara bara barmellion

In a large bowl, mix 195g strong white flour, 195g plain flour, 1tsp salt, 1tsp ground turmeric, 1tsp ground cumin, 2tsp sugar, 1tsp baking powder, 2tsp yeast. Mix these dry boys together.

Using one chop stick, continually stir the mix and add 3tbsp olive oil and – gradually – add in 360ml tepid water.

Pour the dough out onto a clean work surface (it will not remain so for long!) and knead your dough for 8 minutes. Once it is a soft, homogenous ball leave it in a bowl covered for 45 minutes.

2. Curry on my wayward double

Whilst the bread proves, make your curry.

Finely dice 1 onion, mince four cloves of garlic and your thumb-sized piece of ginger (why is it always thumb-sized? What about a toe-sized piece of ginger?). Leave your scotch bonnet whole.

To a large saucepan, add 4tbsp vegetable oil and heat over a medium heat. Once this is hot, add in your: onion, garlic, ginger and scotch bonnet. Cook for 10 minutes.

Whilst this is cooking drain and rinse your tinned chickpeas.

Add the spices: 2tsp salt, 1tsp turmeric, 1tsp all spice, 1tsp ground coriander, 1tsp ground cumin, 1tsp paprika. Cook this for four minutes so that the spices are spicing.

Add in 560g drained chickpeas and stir so that it is coated in spice.

Pour in 1 tin of coconut milk and 2 tbsp tomato puree.

Simmer for 15 minutes. Then chop up a handful of coriander and chop your lime in half. Add your chopped coriander and the juice of one lime to your curry, stir through 1tbsp of coconut flour (we didn’t do this because neither of us could source this ingredient… or wanted to invest I can’t remember which).

3. Coocoo for cucumber

To make your cucumber salsa, remove the seeds from the center one of cucumber, then grate. Add to a bowl alongside 1/2tsp salt and a pinch of chilli flakes.

4. BARRAcuda

Finish everything off by making your bread. Remove the risen dough from the bowl and pop onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough into a super-sausage and then chop into 16 equal size demi-sausages.

Roll each of the 16 dough into a 1cm thick circle. Spread them out on a well floured surface or some grease proof paper to make sure that they don’t stick whilst they wait in line for their hot oil bath.

Fill a large saucepan with enough oil – it should be around half way up to make sure that there’s space for the barras. Stick a chopstick in to test when its hot enough, if it bubbles, the oil is ready for your first barra.

Drop in one barra at a time and cook for 2 minutes of each until golden and crisp.

Leave to cool on a plate lined with kitchen roll.

5. Trini-daddy this looks good

To serve, place two barras onto a plate and top with a generous helping of the curry then the cucumber salsa and any other chutneys or sauces you might want to pile on top (I had mine with mango chutney and it was delectable).

Dink and sink!

Food for Thought