Trinidadian doubles, a popular street-food in Trinidad, are small, snack-size fried-bread sandwiches that consist of curried channa (chickpeas), cucumber or mango chutney, tamarind sauce and hot pepper sauce all set between two pieces of bara (fried bread). The soft fried bread combined with the sweet and savoury, yet sour filling offers a really delightful flavour experience.

Jonathan, born to Trinidadian parents, introduced these beautiful little pockets of sunshine to me when we first started dated. It was game over once he did, because now whenever anyone even whispers the word, I’m on high alert and craving them instantly! If you can handle gluten, I highly recommend getting the real deal doubles with the bara. In Toronto, our favourite place to get doubles is at Drupati’s.

I had fun creating this recipe using the ingredients we already had at home. My inspiration came from the well-known Naparima Girls’ High School Cookbook as well as the flavours I’ve come to love from Drupati’s doubles.

To lighten up this dish a bit, I have swapped out the fried bread for brown rice, but you could easily use cauliflower rice to make it grain-free.

Trinidadian Doubles-Inspired Curry Bowl

Serves 4

Curried Chickpeas

2 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp cumin powder

1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1-inch piece of ginger, minced

1 ½ cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup water

1 tsp salt

Olive oil

Cucumber Chutney*

1 large cucumber, shredded

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp parsley

1-inch piece of ginger, minced

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 green onion, chopped

1 tbsp lemon juice

½ tsp salt

¼ -½ tsp pepper sauce (optional)

*Traditionally this is made with green seasoning which is a paste made from fresh herbs, garlic, ginger, onions and hot pepper, but it can be tricky to find in stores so using the fresh ingredients is a great alternative.

Tamarind Sauce

2 tbsp tamarind paste

1 tbsp cumin

1 ½ tbsp maple syrup or coconut sugar

¾ cup – 1 cup of water

½ clove garlic, minced

2 cups of cooked brown rice

Chopped cilantro for garnish

Tamarind Sauce:

1. In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, add all of the tamarind sauce ingredients. As the sauce starts to gently boil, stir and maintain the simmer by dropping the heat to low-medium.

2. Let this simmer for about 30-40 minutes until the sauce thickens up slightly (it should still be runny). Tamarind can be quite sour, so adjust the taste by adding more water or more maple syrup/coconut sugar to balance the flavours.

Curried Chickpeas:

In a large saucepan, saute onion, garlic and ginger until fragrant and the onion is translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Add more water as needed and adjust spices to your preference.

Cucumber Chutney:

Shred cucumber in a large bowl and add salt.

Gently press down on the cucumber with a spoon or spatula. Liquid will start to pool–drain it, and add the rest of the ingredients.

To compile:

Put some rice in a bowl. Top with curried chickpeas, cucumber chutney and drizzle some of the tamarind sauce on top. Garnish with cilantro.

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Let me know if you make this recipe by tagging me @megan_rhn !