Rather than what two english gentleman clinking glasses together would say, today’s new thing Chin Chin is the surprising name of a sweet Nigerian snack. I found the recipe a little while ago in an issue of BBC Good Food magazine and I’ve been waiting for the right time to give this tasty sounding dish a go.
Chin Chin comes from Nigeria and, alongside similarly deep fried Puff Puff, is a common and popular snack. A simple dough made with the usual suspects, plus evaporated milk and a heady dose of warming nutmeg, this took no time at all to come together and smelled wonderful. The surprisingly time consuming part came when I had to divide the pastry into small 1cm squares.
The photo in the magazine showed significantly larger squares, despite giving the 1cm instructions, so I was a bit confused what was correct, but a quick google search reassured me that I was on the right tracks with the smaller ones.
After a short chilling time, it was time to deep fry the tiny bites – something that I was a bit apprehensive about doing. I don’t ever recall deep frying anything (another new thing alert!) my mum’s terrifying stories about oil fires filling me with dread at the thought. I chose a small pan and filled it around half full, just so I could have a bit more control over the bubbling fat.
I put the Chin Chin in the pan in batches, and it of course went without hitch. My only issue was I was there for ages. Partly my own fault, but for what the magazine said a quick recipe, I was in the kitchen for nearly 2 hours. I also made way too much for just me and my husband, in the future I will half the recipe.
These little crunchy golden bites were so flipping delicious, but dangerously addictive. Because they’re so small it became all too easy to grab a handful to munch on. It came to a point where I had to physically remove them from arm’s reach. I heartily recommend Chin Chin as a simple and tasty munching snack!
New Day, New Thing 