Crunchy coconut milk chin chin

Plan a week with Nigerian dishes

Let's cook

1. Mix the flour, sugar, nutmeg, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.
2. Add the 3 tablespoons of oil and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
3. Pour in the coconut milk a little at a time, mixing with your hand, until it comes together as a firm, smooth dough that is not sticky. You may not need all of it. Knead for 1 minute.
4. Cut the dough in half. On a lightly floured worktop, roll one half out to about 5mm thick. Cut it into strips 1cm wide, then across into small squares. Spread them out on a floured tray so they do not stick together. Repeat with the other half.
5. Pour the frying oil into a deep, heavy pan so it is no more than a third full. Heat on a medium heat to 170C on a cooking thermometer, or until a piece of dough dropped in sizzles and rises to the top within a few seconds.
6. Fry a handful at a time for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring now and then with a slotted spoon, until evenly golden brown. They darken a little more as they cool, so lift them out when golden.
7. Drain on a tray lined with kitchen paper. Let them cool completely: they go crunchy as they cool.

Tips

• Never leave hot oil alone, keep children away from the pan and let the oil cool fully before moving it.
• Fry in small batches. Too many at once cools the oil and makes chin chin greasy and soft.
• Kept in an airtight jar, chin chin stays crunchy for 2 weeks.

Swaps

• Classic style (no longer vegan): use 1 beaten egg, 40g butter and whole milk in place of the oil in the dough and the coconut milk.
• Less sweet: cut the sugar to 40g.

More in the Nigerian meal plan

Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.