Shado Beni and Garlic Heavy Doubles

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried chickpeas (channa), soaked overnight
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 0.5 cup fresh shado beni (culantro) leaves, finely minced
• 10 cloves garlic cloves, roasted and mashed into paste
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1.5 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin (geera)
• 0.5 pepper scotch bonnet pepper, minced(optional)
• 3 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

1. 1

   Boil the soaked channa in plenty of water with 1 teaspoon of turmeric and salt until very tender but not mushy (about 45-60 minutes).

2. 2

   In a heavy skillet, sauté half of the garlic paste and half of the shado beni with curry powder, then add the cooked channa and a splash of cooking water to create a thick gravy.

3. 3

   Prepare the bara dough by mixing flour, yeast, sugar, remaining turmeric, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl.

4. 4

   Incorporate the remaining roasted garlic paste and minced shado beni into the dough mixture, adding warm water gradually until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.

5. 5

   Let the dough rest, covered, for at least 90 minutes until it has doubled in size.

6. 6

   With oiled hands, pull off small pieces of dough (golf ball size) and flatten them into very thin 4-inch circles.

7. 7

   Flash-fry the dough circles in very hot oil for only 5 seconds per side until they puff up; they should remain pale and soft, not crispy.

8. 8

   To assemble, place two baras on a plate, top with a generous ladle of the garlic-heavy channa, and garnish with extra fresh shado beni.