The art of chin chin making is known all across West Africa, and every nation has their own chin chin recipe that every family knows by heart. Want to learn how to make chin chin? Here is how to fry chin chin in three most popular ways.
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1. How to make soft chin chin
While chin chin is widely enjoyed crunchy, many cooks are wondering: how to make chin chin soft? Luckily, there is a recipe for soft and fluffy chin chin, and here are the ingredients for chin chin you’ll need:
- Butter – 1/3 cup
- Egg – 1
- All-purpose flour – 2 3/4 cups
- Coconut milk – 1/4 cup
- Sugar – 1/4 cup
- Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
- Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
- Pinch of salt
- Oil for frying
Follow these steps to learn how to prepare chin chin:
- Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add cold butter or margarine and quickly work it into the flour.
- In another bowl, whisk together the egg, coconut milk, and vanilla extract.
- Make a well in the centre of the butter and flour mixture and pour in your egg mixture. Quickly mix the dough, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky.
- Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Take the dough out of the fridge, lightly sprinkle your work station with flour, cut a small piece from the dough and flatten it to desired thickness with a rolling pin.
- Using a knife or a cutter, cut the dough into equally-sized pieces.
- Heat up the oil in a pot and fry your chin chin in small batches until they’re golden brown. Place the cooked chin chin on a paper towel to remove excess fat and sprinkle with powdered sugar if you prefer sweeter chin chin.
This is how to make Nigerian chin chin with the most commonly known recipe!
2. How to make crunchy chin chin
Crunchy chin chin is the favourite sweet snack for millions of Nigerians of all ages. The recipe for crunchy chin chin isn’t that different from the soft chin chin recipe – in fact, the ingredients for making chin chin are absolutely the same as in the previous recipe, with one big difference: this recipe doesn’t call for an egg.
You can follow the recipe for soft chin chin and simply leave the egg out. The cooking method also influences the crunchiness of chin chin: deep-fried chin chin is usually crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, while baked chin chin is crunchy all the way!
3. How to make Cameroonian chin chin
The Cameroonian chin chin recipe is the second most popular way to make chin chin after the Nigerian recipe. Chin chin made with this recipe contains more spices and has a more vibrant flavour. Here is what you’ll need to Cameroonian chin chin:
- Butter – 1/4 cup
- All-purpose flour – 3 1/2 cup
- 1 egg
- Milk of choice – 3/4 cup
- Sugar – 3/4 cup
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
- Lime or lemon zest – 1 tsp
- Nutmeg – 1 tsp
- Baking powder – 1/4 cup
- Oil for frying
The steps for making chin chin the Cameroonian way are the same as making any chin chin: combine the dry ingredients with the butter, then add your liquid ingredients and lemon zest. Form a dough ball, refrigerate it, then flatten it with a roll, cut into the desired shape, and fry or bake until it’s golden brown. Serve with your favourite drink or store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
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