Nigerian Chin Chin
A comforting vegetarian built around plain flour, granulated sugar and ground nutmeg — roughly 65 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 7 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and large pot. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (1)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, nutmeg and salt until evenly combined.
- Rub the softened margarine into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Gradually add the evaporated milk and just enough of the water, mixing and then kneading for about 5 minutes until you have a firm, smooth, non-sticky dough; add a little more flour if it feels tacky.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes, then roll it out on a floured surface to about 5 millimeters thick and cut into thin strips, then crosswise into small squares or cubes.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a deep, heavy pot to about 170 degrees Celsius, testing with a single piece that should sizzle gently and rise to the surface.
- Fry the chin chin in batches, stirring often so they color evenly, for 4 to 6 minutes until golden brown and crisp all the way through; avoid crowding the pot so the oil stays hot.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels, then let cool completely so they crisp up before storing in an airtight container.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet · Large pot · Whisk
Ingredient substitutions
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
Tips & common questions
How long does Nigerian Chin Chin take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 8 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of milk?
Try any unsweetened plant milk. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Nigerian Chin Chin vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Nigerian Chin Chin is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: A fried chin chin.jpg by Linason Blessing, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.