Chin Chin – West African Fried pastry enjoyed throughout the region especially in Nigeria- Crispy Crunchy and Addictive.
Chin chin is my all time favorite snack -it tastes so good , yet so bad for you .It is a scrumptious fried pastry made in various ways. Throughout West Africa and Nigeria Chin Chin originally was prepared for special occasions. It has evolved from a special occasion food to being a snack food, sold on street corners, kiosk and supermarkets.
Growing up, it was customary at most homes in Cameroon, to make this delicious snack during the Christmas season. Each home has its own variation: some soft to the point of falling apart, others so hard that after a couple of bites you feel like your teeth would break.
Some shaped like small balls; others kneaded and cut into small 1 inch squares. The overall experience of slowly feasting on chin-chin is immeasurable…..I never got tired of trying all the different variations of Chin-Chin.
Even at this ripe old age I still love it , the only issue is, “once I pop I cannot stop”. On one occasion I had to hide it in the trunk of my car. Well, that was a little extreme, but I had to. It is so addictive!!
The ingredients for this recipe are: butter, sugar, eggs and flour and some sort of seasoning. Although the thought of making chin- chin dough can be a little intimidating, this recipe is surprisingly simple and straightforward.
You can shape this however you like. They take no longer to make than any other cookie, and the most time consuming part is probably the frying.
Enjoy!!!
NOTES
- If you like your chin soft then add more butter – 1 or 2 Tablespoons more . Be careful not to use too much butter . If not your chin chin is going to crumble.
- A pasta machine helps in rolling out the dough and shaping it. check it out here
Check out this post here Popular African Food to Celebrate Christmas
Watch How to Make It
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Chin Chin
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups 440 grams all-Purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1- teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
- 1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons margarine/butter
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup milk
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Using a mixer or by hand mix the dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, nutmeg and lime zest
- Add the butter to the flour and mix well until the butter is well incorporated with the flour.
- Add milk and egg into the mixture. Keep mixing until you have formed a sticky dough ball
- Dump the dough ball onto a floured surface and knead, incorporating more flour into the dough as needed, until the dough is smooth, elastic, and even in color and no longer sticky. Chin-chin can be cut into many shapes and sizes
- Divide dough in half .On a floured board roll each half about 1/6 inches thick. Just like linguine or fettuccine. You can make it easy by using a pasta machine if you have one available. Make shapes as desired.
- Add oil (about 3 inches deep) to a heated skillet/sauce pan or my all time favorite Dutch oven that is over medium heat and bring it to 375 degrees .
- Fry in hot oil until golden .Remove from oil, drain, and serve. You can store this in an air tight container for up to a month.
Tips & Notes:
- For this recipe , I used a standard measuring cup( leveled ). I also used standard measuring spoons.
- If you like your chin soft then add more butter – 1 or 2 Tablespoons more . Be careful not to use too much butter . If not your chin chin is going to crumble.
- A pasta machine helps in rolling out the dough and shaping it. check it out here
Nutrition Information:
chidinma says
Please with this ingredients can it be soft cos I want to fry soft chin chin tomorrow, I need your answer pls
ImmaculateBites says
Chidinma, it depends on how soft you want your chin chin. This is not too soft nor hard.
Ije says
This is such a great recipe! Thank you so much for this! This was the first recipe I have used to make chinchin and i’m so happy that it works! I changed it a little by adding more sugar and didn’t add lime zest but everything else is perfect. My friends all love my chinchin. Thank you for this!
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for the feedback so glad it was a hit with your friends.
Elizabeth says
Hi immaculate. U rock. I have never felt this confident before. My chin chin cameout superb tthanks to you. I also made puff puff and it did not soak oil even one bit. Thanks a lot. My doughnuts had no oil but in d inside it was not fried
That’s not bad cos it was my first trial. Thumps up. Thanks
ImmaculateBites says
Hey Elizabeth, thanks for reporting back. It is good to know you are becoming a pro in the kitchen. Next time make sure the oil is not too hot. Reduce heat if doughnuts are browning too fast. Happy New Year.
Tasha says
These tasted so good. Making more of these for the holidays . Thanks again
ImmaculateBites says
Glad you liked them . Happy holidays
Rose T says
Thanks Imma for this recipe.i grew up in a home where chin chin was made every December but I must say that this is the best and straight to the point chin chin recipe I have ever seen.i just did it and it came out superb.my hubby n kids loved it.i’m indeed thankful for your blog
ImmaculateBites says
Rose, thanks for taking the time to say thanks. Happy thanksgiving!
Femo says
I love your website, it is clean and the photos are good.
More importantly, keep the simplicity with the recipes, they make life easier for bachelorettes and other learners.
This is great, keep it up, sis!
ImmaculateBites says
Aww,thanks Femo. Really appreciate you taking the time to comment. Don’t forget to subscribe! Spell check keep changing your name when I input it. Now its fix.
Hope says
I tried this recipe last night and my kids and my husband think that I am a chin chin goddess or something. I’ve been looking for a good chin chin recipe for a long time and this is it. Thanks so much and thanks for including detailed measurements, helps a lot.
ImmaculateBites says
Hope, so happy to hear this.! Thanks for taking the time to comment – it means a lot to me.
ImmaculateBites says
Aww ,Thanks Ayla. The lime Zest packs a lot citrus flavor into this chin-chin without the bitterness. If you prefer you can omit the zest and double the nutmeg flavor. Thanks for stopping by!
Ayla says
Love your blog so much. Tried a few of your recipes already and the finished products were fab. I’ll be trying this one out but just wondered about the inclusion of the lemon zest.
Gift says
Lovely, i will try this method, but ma is there no simple way to cut the chin chine.
ImmaculateBites says
You might try using a pasta machine
Adeola says
Hi, pls is it self rising flour or plain flour to be used? And how can I increase the quantity for my son’s birthday.
Thanks
ImmaculateBites says
Adeola , I used plain flour. Just double or triple recipe.Let me know how it works out for you.
liz says
Thanks a lot. Will do so and give you and others details!!!!
Liz says
How much butter should I add? 1/8th of a cup more???
ImmaculateBites says
Liz, start with a 1/8 the cup. Too much butter will make the chin chin full apart when frying . If you do not like the texture increase with 1 to 2 more spoons .
Nicole says
What is the name of the mixer (food processor) u are using.I need one like that.
ImmaculateBites says
KitchenAid Professional 600 Series 6-Quart Stand Mixer
Liz says
Today marks my 18th wedding anniversary and my hubby LOVES chinchin. His friend who loves it also is coming over too!!! Your recipe never fails. Some of my friends want a softer version. Any thoughts???
Cheers
ImmaculateBites says
Liz ,add a little bit more butter – it will do the trick!