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Channa for Doubles
My Original
Doubles, I can't recall the exact first time I tried doubles, but I am telling you it is one of my favorite things. The flavors are out of this world delicious.
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If you have never heard of doubles, it's a street food in the Caribbean served by street vendors, particularly in an island called Trinidad and Tobago.
The filling in the middle is so incredibly delicious - rich, flavorful and mouth - watering good.
I had to recreate this goodness at home seeing there wasn't any Caribbean restaurants nearby where I could purchase it.
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Going through the entire process can be quite time consuming. From making the bara, to the condiments, the sauces, it does take some time and work. Let me tell you though, it is totally worth it.
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I will be sharing also the bara as well as the tamarind chutney that is paired with it. However, I will be focusing mainly on the Channa part of this dish in this recipe.
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The Channa part of made up of garbanzo beans, which they refer to as Channa. It also has spices, and a secret ingredient.
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There is a secret ingredient that someone actually shared with me, and I am able to share that with you.
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The secret ingredient will not only add that distinct flavor that comes from channa for doubles, but it also adds thickness and creaminess to the sauce. We will be using yellow split-peas to achieve this goodness. Yellow split peas also known as dhal, can be found at many supermarkets, you can also check online or use the green split-peas if you can't get your hands on the yellow kind.
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SECRET INGREDIENT
Split Peas
In my recipe (and in a lot of the traditional original recipes made back in the islands), this "secret' ingredient is what sets this apart. A simple, basic ingredient, but an essential part in the flavor profile needed for a channa served in doubles.
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We will be boiling split peas, mashing them up until they become a paste, then adding to our boiled and cooked chickpeas /garbanzo beans.
Yellow split peas can be a bit difficult to find in supermarkets by me, so if I can't find them, I will use green split peas, both will give us the same result!
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GARBANZO BEANS
So, here's the thing when it comes to chickpeas or garbanzo beans. You can purchase them dried or canned, and they are one tough bean to cook. My preference in which type to use is canned beans which can be controversial. However, if you prefer dried, please use that! The thing with dried beans is really the amount of time in preparing them.
You'll have to soak them overnight and then they take a very long time to get tender, but if that's your choice for cooking then follow the cooking instructions which is can usually be found on the back of the packaging. Towards the end of cooking your beans when they start to become tender you can start to follow the cooking of the beans for this recipe (adding in baking soda).
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When it comes to using canned beans, there is no soaking involved, however the cooking time will still take a while to tenderize your beans. We will boil our beans for about 15 minutes, then add in our baking soda, another important ingredient in this recipe.
BAKING SODA
Another simple, basic ingredient when making this recipe is - baking soda!
A lot of people question the use of the baking soda, and if it is necessary and to me the simple answer is yes!
Adding in the baking soda while boiling our chickpeas helps tenderize the beans as well as adding a background flavor needed for this component of doubles!
So don't forget to add in your baking soda and stir immediately!
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1. Rinse yellow split peas. Soaking overnight will decrease the cooking time and help aid with digestion of the peas
2.In a small saucepan bring water and dhal/yellow split peas and whole garlic cloves to boil.
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3. Reduce heat to about medium and cook until the split peas are breaking down fully. Mash it with the back of a spoon to create a paste. You are looking to make this into a paste / mash.
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4.In a large pot, bring to boil 3 to 4 cups of boiling water.
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5. Add in 2 cans of chickpeas.
You can use dried chickpeas that have been soaking overnight, however cooking time will differ and be longer.
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6. Add in baking soda to your boiling water and chickpeas.
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7. Start to stir immediately, it will bubble and froth up. Stir until it calms down.
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8. Cook chickpeas until tender, times could really vary but usually about 20 minutes.
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9. Drain Chick peas and set aside.
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10. In a large pot, on medium heat, add in vegetable oil.
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11. Once oil is wamred add in your chopping onion and grated garlic.
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12. Saute in the oil for a couple minutes.
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13. Add in your curry and geera/cumin powder to the oil, onions and garlic.
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14. Stir until everything is well combined.
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15. Cook all of that for about 3-5 on medium heat, stirring often. We are looking for the flavors to develop at this point.
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16. Add in your drained chickpeas and stir well.
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17. Add in water to cover chickpeas and stir.
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18.Time to now mix in the dhal/yellow split pea paste we made. Add to the chickpeas and stir well.
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19. Cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
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Tips:
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I usually cook everything uncovered for this recipe.
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When boiling you dhal/split peas you may need to keep adding water so it doesnt dry out and burn. You are looking for a paste/mush .
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Serve in the middle to two Baras, topped with chutneys like Tamarind Chutney, pepper sauce and grated cucumbers.
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