Puff-puff and chin chin are two of Nigeria’s classic fried snacks, and both are easy to make at home with flour, sugar and oil. Puff-puff is a soft, yeasted dough ball fried until golden, while chin chin is a firm, sweet dough cut into small cubes and fried until crunchy. Below are reliable home recipes for both, with tips for getting the texture right.
Puff-puff: soft, sweet and best eaten warm
Puff-puff turns up at birthdays, naming ceremonies and roadside stalls across Nigeria, and similar fried dough balls are popular in Ghana and Cameroon. It should be light and spongy inside, with a thin golden crust.
Ingredients (makes about 30)
- 3 cups (about 375 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (one 7 g packet) instant yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
- About 300 to 350 ml (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups) warm water
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
Method
- Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl.
- Add the warm water gradually and beat with your hand or a wooden spoon for 2 to 3 minutes. The batter should be thick, sticky and stretchy: softer than bread dough, but not runny.
- Cover and leave it somewhere warm for 45 to 60 minutes, until doubled and full of bubbles. In a cold Canadian kitchen, an oven with only the light switched on works well.
- Heat oil about 7 cm (3 in) deep to 170 to 175°C (340 to 350°F).
- Scoop the batter by squeezing it up through your fist and pinching off balls with your thumb, or use a small ice cream scoop or two spoons dipped in water.
- Fry in small batches for 3 to 4 minutes, turning them, until evenly golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Dust them with sugar if you like, or eat them plain with a cold drink.
Chin chin: crunchy, sweet and good for weeks
Chin chin is the snack in tins and jars at Christmas and weddings, and the one relatives pack for travellers. It keeps well, so it is worth making a big batch.
Ingredients (makes about 1 kg)
- 4 cups (about 500 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (optional, for a lighter crunch)
- 1/2 cup (115 g) cold butter or margarine
- 1 large egg
- About 125 ml (1/2 cup) milk
- Vegetable oil for frying
Many Nigerian homes make the milk from powder, such as Peak Powdered Milk mixed with water, which gives chin chin a familiar creamy taste. You will find it with the sugar in our food and beverage section.
Method
- Mix the flour, sugar, nutmeg, salt and baking powder.
- Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it looks like fine breadcrumbs.
- Beat the egg into the milk, pour it in and knead to a firm, smooth dough. If it stays crumbly, add milk a spoonful at a time.
- Rest the dough for 10 minutes, then roll it out about 5 mm (1/4 in) thick.
- Cut it into strips, then into small squares of about 1 cm (1/2 in).
- Fry in batches at 170°C (340°F) for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring, until golden brown all over.
- Drain and cool completely. Chin chin gets crunchier as it cools.
Tips for frying at home
- Use a thermometer. Oil that is too cool makes greasy, heavy puff-puff. Oil that is too hot browns the outside before the centre cooks.
- Fry small batches. Crowding the pot drops the oil temperature fast.
- Use a deep, heavy pot and fill it no more than halfway. Keep children and pets away from the stove.
- Choose a neutral oil with a high smoke point, such as vegetable, canola or groundnut oil. You can find frying oil in our cooking oils section.
Once the oil cools, strain it through a fine sieve and you can reuse it for another batch of snacks.
Variations worth trying
- Spicy puff-puff: add a little chopped scotch bonnet or ground chili to the batter and cut the sugar to 1/4 cup (50 g).
- Soft chin chin: use more butter and an extra egg for a softer, cookie-like bite.
- Hard chin chin: use less butter, skip the baking powder and roll the dough thinner.
- Baked chin chin: spread the cubes on a lined tray and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20 to 25 minutes, shaking the tray halfway. It comes out paler and drier than fried, but it uses almost no oil.
- Air-fried chin chin: cook small batches at 180°C (350°F) for about 10 to 15 minutes, shaking the basket often. An air fryer works well for a quick tray for the kids.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my puff-puff flat and oily?
Usually the batter did not rise enough, it was too runny, or the oil was too cool. Let the batter double in size and fry at 170 to 175°C (340 to 350°F).
Can I make puff-puff without yeast?
Yes, some recipes use baking powder instead, but the result is denser and more like cake. Yeast gives the classic soft, chewy inside.
How long does chin chin last?
In an airtight container at room temperature, chin chin stays crunchy for about 2 weeks. Make sure it is completely cool before you seal it.
Is puff-puff the same as a doughnut?
Puff-puff is a close cousin of the doughnut: a sweet, yeasted, fried dough. It is smaller, round, usually unglazed and chewier inside.