Coconut Chinchin — A snacking favourite in Nigeria
I had a friend who described frowning as “chewing chinchin”... implying that chinchin is usually so hard, you can’t chew it and smile at the same time. Aha! Now you have to prove this concept so get your ingredients ready and get on it!
Before that though, this recipe might not give the same result. I feel the need to explain. Considering, I’m trying to frown less in my old age, I made a small alteration here. The inclusion of the coconut milk adds a bit more fluff to the chinchin dough and makes it not as crispy, which is just the way I like it. If you want a harder crunch, you can reduce the quantity of water (or substitute the coconut milk with water and still reduce) by 2-3 tablespoons to get a harder thicker dough.
Otherwise, mix, roll, cut, fry and smile :-)
Recipe
Ingredients:
500g flour
100g sugar
125g salted butter
100g coconut milk (or 100g milk – for plain chinchin)
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
Sunflower oil (for deep frying)
Method:
1. Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, nutmeg, salt)
2. Add butter and mix until you have a crumbly texture
3. Make a hole in the middle of the bowl, and add the egg, beat for a few seconds with a fork
4. Add the milk and mix together until a soft dough forms
5. If dough is sticky, add more flour
6. Roll dough to a flat shape (1/4 inch)
7. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into small flat squares by cutting straight horizontal and vertical lines
8. Deep fry and enjoy
Here are some progress pictures
