Bake of the Week: How to make the much-loved Nigerian treat Chin Chin

CHIN CHIN is a much-loved Nigerian treat. It features in one of Bake of the Week’s fave new cookbooks, Hibiscus, by Lope Ariyo.

There are lots of ways of making it and while it is often traditionally eaten “jaw-breakingly hard”, a slightly easier-to-eat version is more of a crowd pleaser.

This version is for traditional chin chin. You can experiment with coffee, lemon or whatever you fancy.

You’ll need:

300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

½ tsp baking powder

90g caster sugar

1 tsp ground nutmeg

4 tbsp coconut oil, melted

120ml evaporated milk

1 egg

groundnut oil, for deep frying

Method

Line a baking tray with parchment or greaseproof paper.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the sugar and nutmeg and mix.

In a separate bowl, combine the coconut oil, evaporated milk and egg, then gently whisk until combined.

Using your hands, combine the wet and dry mixes until combined.

Put the dough on a lightly floured surface and gently roll it out to 3mm thick.

Cut into 1cm cubes and transfer the chin chin to the baking tray.

Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Half-fill a large pan with oil and place over a medium-high heat. The oil is hot enough when a piece of dough sizzles when dropped into the oil.

Fry the chin chin in batches, stirring each batch constantly until golden brown.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the chin chin to a wire rack lined with greaseproof paper.

Repeat until dough is used up.