Doubles (food)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Doubles is a common street food in Trinidad and Tobago. It is a sandwich made with two flat fried breads, called "bhara" (hence the name "doubles") filled with curried chick peas, commonly called channa. Topped with a variety of spicy chutneys, this delicacy is undoubtedly the most popular fast-food in Trinidad and Tobago.
The bread is a quick bread made of flour, baking powder, salt, and saffron, which gives the bread its yellow color. It is flattened to a thin round disk about 3.5 inches in diameter and fried until golden brown. The bhara is then filled with the channa ready to be sold. There is no set recipe for the channa, which can be just curried or mixed with curry and dhaal (yellow split peas).
Doubles are not limited to household and restaurant kitchens. There are doubles vendors all across the country, selling doubles out of a box, and even made fresh on the spot by a doubles truck. The doubles is fried on the spot, usually in a makeshift kitchen in the back of a pickup truck. This practice was introduced by Majid Hosein and his son Afraz Majid of Debe in 1979. The price for a doubles currently range from TT$1.50 to TT$2.50.
Doubles is known as the breakfast of champions because it is consumed mainly in the morning by commuters on the way to work or school.
Some renowned doubles vendors, famous for their excellent taste and consistent quality are "Singh's Doubles" located at Barataria Roundabout in San Juan, "Sauce" located at Curepe Junction and "Ali's Doubles" with locations nationwide.
