If you have never tried gluten-free doubles then you are in for a treat!. If you love to try cuisines of different countries and regions, you are in luck! The world is full of versatility when it comes to ingredients, fruits, and vegetables.

After my recent, Tamarind Sauce and Curry Channa, I decided to make a gluten doubles recipe. 

Every region has its specialty. And that’s not it. Different people use the same ingredients in different ways, making them unique and indigenous to their region. There is such a diversity in food and cuisine that if you plan to try foods from other countries, it’ll probably take you years, if not decades.

Now, being vegan, we all are interested in different cuisines that offer us unique, delicious, authentic, and vegan recipes. Although there is always an option for a substitute, the real fun lies in trying authentic vegan food.

One such cuisine that has several vegan dishes is the cuisine from Trinidad and Tobago. This Caribbean country might be quite far from Asia, but we find shocking similarities with Asian cuisine once we dive into its cuisine. And by Asian cuisine, I mean Indian cuisine. So, if you love Indian cuisine, you should definitely try Trinidad cuisine!

What are doubles?

The name doubles might not make sense to you but believe me when I say it will double your joy! It is a very famous Trinidad street food that has almost turned into a staple.

This dish actually gets its inspiration from a south Indian dish called “chana bhatura”  or chole bhatura, which is a dish of spicy chickpeas wrapped up in a flatbread of poori. The poori is made from all-purpose flour and is fried till it gets crispy. Doubles are more or less the same thing.

However, the place has added a few ingredients to give it a Trinidadian touch. For one, they are a sandwich made from bara or flatbread with a filling of your choice inside. Although it is best served as breakfast, you can eat it at any time of the day.

Components of doubles?

There are two main components of doubles. These are:

  • The flatbread or bara
  • The filling

Now there are several ways to prepare the flatbread. You can prepare it the Indian way, or you can make it the Trinidadian way by adding a few spices. However, in our recipe, we are giving it a gluten-free spin.

The next main component is the filling. Originally, doubles use spicey chickpea curry to give homage to the inspiration, but as time passes by, people have started to become creative. Today, you will find several other ways of preparing the dish or filling. Furthermore, you can get creative add to try something new entirely. Whether it’s sweet, sour, or spicy, you can add any filling to your doubles.

gluten-free flour for making doubles flatbread

What’s special about this doubles recipe?

This doubles recipe is quite special. It is not just flavorsome, but there is a lot more to it. Here is why you should try this doubles recipe:

  • It is vegan
  • It is gluten-free
  • It is super delicious.
  • It is a healthy and fulfilling breakfast or snack.
  • It is different from your regular sandwich.
  • You can freeze the chana curry filling in the freezer for up to a month for later use.
  • You can try different fillings and experiment with the flavors.
flour for doubles

Different ways to prepare Gluten-Free Doubles

There are different ways to prepare doubles. These ways differ for both flatbread or bara and for filling.

Talking about the bara, traditionally, it is prepared by deep-frying it in oil. However, if you are looking for a healthy option, you can bake the bara as well.

As for the filling is concerned, you can prepare the traditional chana curry. However, if you are looking for ideas, here are a few to help you out:

  • Instead of chana curry, you can also find natives eating doubles with aloo pie or potato pie filling.
  • Another popular filling is the eggplant fitter, which is not just delicious but is perfectly vegan as well.
  • If you are looking for greens, you can opt for spinach fitters, which is another popular filing native love.
  • You can also eat doubles with green mango chutney or tamarind chutney.
  • And if you are craving something sweet, try it with bananas or any other sweet ingredient.
dough ball for doubles on a baking sheet

How to make gluten-free doubles food?

If you want to make low-fat, gluten-free, vegan, and delicious doubles, the process is very simple. Firstly, you will need all gluten-free products. You can find them in the gluten-free section of the grocery store.

Now you will need to mix gluten-free all-purpose flour, chickpea flour, gluten-free yeast, coconut sugar, turmeric, salt, and mix until all ingredients are combined.

Using your hands, form a hole in the middle of the bowl. Pour in lukewarm water and start mixing the dry ingredients using your hands. Work your way until you get a firm dough that is almost like playdough. Cover it with coconut oil and muslin cloth and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 10 equal portions and place them on a greased baking tray. Using your fingers, flatten them in a circle until they are about ¼ inches thick.

Place the baking tray in a preheated oven at 400-degree F for about 10 minutes. You can flip the flatbread after 5 minutes.

If you want to fry these, you can put the flattened bara in hot oil and let it fry on both sides.

baking tray with fried and baked gluten-free doubles

How To Assemble Gluten-Free Doubles Food?

Now there might seem quite a lot of components, but when it comes to assembling doubles, it is pretty easy.

Simple, place a bara on a plate and place a spoon full of the chana curry on it and top it up with another bara. You lift it with your hands and bite into the goodness of rich and textured chickpea curry and the soft, chewy, and wholesome flatbread.

Other Vegan Snacks To Prepare

overlay of doubles flatbread topped with curry chana on a white background

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Nutrition

(Per serving)
  • Energy: 228 kcal / 953 kJ
  • Fat: 7.1 g
  • Protein: 6.5 g
  • Carbs: 38.7 g

Cook Time

  • Preparation: 35 min
  • Cooking: 35 min
  • Ready in: 1 h 10 min
  • For: 10 Servings

Ingredients

For the bara (flatbread)

For the curry chana

Instructions

For the bara

  1. In a bowl, add chickpea flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, coconut sugar, turmeric, and salt.
  2. Combine all dry ingredients using a whisk.
  3. This the help of your hands or spoon, then create a well in the middle of the bowl. 
  4. Pour lukewarm water into the well and start adding dry ingredients into the water.
  5. Continue to knead the dough until you get a play dough-like texture or feel.
  6. Once the dough is ready, brush a little coconut oil over the dough surface. This way, it won't become crusty or sticky.
  7. Now, split the dough into 10 equal pieces.
  8. Place the pieces on a baking tray and again brush them with coconut oil.

Baking the bara

  1. Grease the baking tray with coconut oil.
  2. Place each portion of dough on the baking tray keeping a distance of 2-3 inches.
  3. With the help of your fingers, push the dough to flatten it in a circular shape.
  4. Brush the flattened dough with coconut oil.
  5. Place the baking tray in a preheated oven at 400-degree F for 10 minutes, flipping the bara after 5 minutes so that it cooked nicely on the other side as well.

Frying the bara

  1. To fry bara, place a large frying pan or skittle on the stove and pour vegetable oil in it.
  2. Dust the workstation with flour and place a dough piece on it.
  3. Using a rolling pin, flatten it so that it is about ¼ inches thick; you can also use your fingers.
  4. Once the oil is hot, place the flattened dough in it and fry it for about 5 minutes on both sides. You can flip it halfway for when it gets a golden brown color.
  5. Remove and place on the paper towel.

Curry chana

  1. In a saucepan. Heat coconut oil. 
  2. Add onion and sauté for about 2 minutes.
  3. Add garlic, Ground Cumin, Curry Powder, and sauté for 30 seconds.
  4. Add chickpeas and mix well so that they are evenly coated in spice.
  5. Reduce the heat and pour the vegetable stock into it. Stir well.
  6. Let it simmer for about 5-7 minutes on low to medium heat.
  7. Add Chadon benni and let it cook for 5-7 more minutes. 
  8. Using a masher, mash the chickpeas to create a thick sauce. 
  9. Add cayenne pepper, salt and mix well.
Recipe author's Gravatar image

Chef Marsha

I am Marsha Lee, Chef, Owner and Operator of Eat With Your Eyes LLC, located in Mount Vernon, New York.

My passion for food began at an early age, while still a child in St. Andrew, Jamaica. I began playing with simple breakfast and fried food recipes I would see, until I mastered them, based on my critics.