A doubles vendor sets up a cart very early in the morning, often before sunrise. The bara are made fresh - a soft dough of flour and turmeric is stretched and dropped into hot oil where it puffs up into a golden, spongy disc. The channa is slow-cooked with cumin, turmeric, and other spices until it is thick and rich.
When you order doubles, the vendor folds two bara around a spoonful of channa in seconds, then asks how you want your toppings: cucumber chutney, mango chutney, coconut chutney, tamarind sauce, and pepper (which ranges from 'slight' to 'plenty'). Regulars have strong opinions about their perfect combination.
Doubles arrived in Trinidad in the 1930s, created by a man named Emamool Deen, who sold it from a tray in Princes Town. The dish grew from the Indian and South Asian communities who came to Trinidad generations ago and brought their spices and cooking traditions with them. Today it belongs to everyone.
The great thing about doubles is that it is eaten standing up, wrapped in wax paper, on the way to school or work. It is fast, filling, and flavourful. Trinidadians who move abroad often say doubles is one of the first things they miss from home.