TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: Curried Chickpeas and Cucumber Chutney on Flatbread (Doubles)

I thought this was going to be a fail; my flatbreads (bara) did not puff up the way they seemed to in some of the videos I watched and when I tasted a corner of a cooked bara it was just OK. Then I topped the bara with the curried chickpeas and chutney, folded one over, and dove in, and — wow — it was amazing! One of those addictive bites where I ate far more than intended because I could not stop.

If you want a shortcut version, you can sub in store-bought pizza dough for the flatbread. It will lose the cumin and turmeric taste profile, but means the mean is on the table in about 25 minutes.

Curried Chickpeas and Cucumber Chutney on Flatbread (Doubles)

Flatbread (Bara)

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1½ cups flour (I used Cup4Cup)

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 cup + 1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil

1. In a small bowl or mug, mix the yeast, sugar, and ¼ cup warm water (~100°-110° F).

2. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, turmeric, cumin and salt and mix with a fork until fully incorporated. Drizzle 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and the yeast and sugar mixture over top. Slowly pour in ½ cup of lukewarm water, mixing with a fork until the dough starts to get shaggy. Knead the dough with your hands until it’s soft and pliable. Dough should be little sticky. If it's not, add ¼ cup of water at a time until it becomes sticky.

3. Cover bowl with a damp dish towel and proof for ~1 hour. Punch down.

4. With oiled fingers, divide the dough into 8 equal balls and transfer to a lightly oiled working surface. Roll each ball between your palms, then set it on your work surface and press it out with your fingers, gently spreading from the middle to the edges to form a thin, ~5-inch round. (Holes are OK.)

5. Heat remaining cup of oil in a large skillet. When oil reaches 375° F (a wooden spoon handle, chopstick, or small piece of bread will cause the oil to bubble steadily and immediately upon contact, but not boil violently), place one bara in the oil. Fry for about 30 seconds on each side. The bara should puff up.

6. Place on a cooling rack or paper-towel lined half sheet pan while cooking remainder bara.

Curried Chickpeas (Channa)

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

1 chicken bouillon cube

2 teaspoons ground cumin*

1 teaspoon ground coriander*

1 teaspoon ground turmeric*

pinch of cayenne powder*

2 cans chickpeas, ~15oz each

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 teaspoon Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, optional

*If you have Trinidadian curry spics, use 1 tablespoon Trinidadian curry spice, reduce cumin to 1 teaspoon, and omit the coriander, turmeric, and cayenne.

1. While bara dough is rising, heat a large saucepan with the canola oil. Chop the onion and add to the oil. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until onion becomes slightly transluscent. If the onion starts to stick, add a tablespoon or two of hot water to the saucepan. Mince the garlic, add to the pan, and stir occasionally for 2-3 additional minutes or until the garlic starts to turn golden.

2. Crush the bouillon cube and add to the pan, then add in the spices. Sauté for 1 minute.

3. Add 1 cup of water. Drain both cans of chickpeas and add to the pan. Add the chopped cilantro. If using the pepper, you can either mince it finely (spicier) or cut a slit in it and drop it in whole (mild heat).

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until the sauce thickens; it may take 20 minutes or more. If mixture gets too dry and/or starts to stick, add ½-cup of water.

5. Taste for seasoning.

Cucumber Chutney

1 English Cucumber or 3 Persian cucumbers

½ cup of chopped cilantro

1 habanero pepper

1 clove garlic

½ lime

¼ teaspoon salt

1. Grate the cucumber and place in a colander and allow it to drain for about 5 minutes. Press to remove excess water.

2. Finely chop cilantro. Seed pepper and mince. Mince garlic. Place all in a small bowl.

3. Add drained cucumber, juice from the lime, and salt to the bowl. Mix together.

To Serve

Tamarind sauce, optional

Hot sauce, such as Trini pepper sauce, Secret Aardvark Habanero, Melinda’s Creamy Style Ghost/Habanero, or Franks' Red Hot, optional

Cilantro leaves, optional

1. Overlap two bara on a plate and top with a generous spoonful of channa.

2. Drizzle with the chutney.

3. Serve with tamarind sauce, hot sauce, and/or additional cilantro leaves,.

#doubles #chickpeas #flatbread #trinidadandtobago #trinidad #hotpepper

FUN FACTS:

• Trinidad and Tobago has a vibrant cultural scene and is the birthplace of steel pan drums, limbo dancing, and calypso.

• Originating in Trinidad and Tobago, the Moruga Scorpion hot pepper was the first pepper ever to break 2 million Scoville Heat Units and was the hottest chili in the world before being knocked off its perch by the Carolina Reaper.

• Tobago is home to an annual goat race on Easter Tuesday, a tradition dating back to 1925.