Nigerian Chin Chin Twirls ~ Italian Cenci

One of my readers wrote to me drawing my attention to the fact that our very popular pastry snack called Chin-chin, could jolly well be an "offspring" of an Italian classic deep fried pastry dough called Cenci...

So off I went to do my own research, and it did not take me a long time at all to come to the realization that there could be a lot of truth in this.....actually I am now convinced there is truth in this and there is a strong link between both of them; Nigerian Chin Chin and Italian Cenci...!

I have often wondered the origins of Chin Chin, how we were introduced to it, and how it became so popular and above all, I did wonder how the name came about....

So I trawled the web again to find out how to pronounced the Italian word Cenci, and I was shocked by how so similar it sounds to Chin chin...!

Again, I went through numerous Cenci recipes to compare with Chin Chin recipes, and again they are closely similar with only some small variations in particular, amount of sugar and butter.

Though with all these similarities, I concluded that the main difference is in the shape. Chin chin is typically made in strips or small balls, whereas Cenci is cut into more elaborate shapes and dusted with sugar...!

All in all, I am convinced that our much loved Chin Chin's direct lineage is from Cenci....so the next question on my lips is, how was this connection made....?hhmmmm...

Well, leaving that for the moment, I decided to find a really good Cenci recipe which I can adapted slightly, to create a type of chin chin which can be served with morning, afternoon or evening tea or coffee and I came up with Chin Chin Twirls...

Check it out below:

What you need
2 large or 3 medium eggs]
2 cups all purpose flour (sieve and add the baking powder to it)
Half a cup sugar
Pinch of salt
Half teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons soft butter
3 tablespoons Condensed milk
Any flavouring of choice (vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg etc)

What to do
I mix all the wet ingredients together first and also mix the dry ingredients together separately then introduce the dry to the wet ingredients. This gives me control on how thick the consistency of my dough is.

So first, crack the eggs into a bowl and add the milk, sugar and butter. Also add your flavouring. Mix all together to achieve a smooth consistency. You may use more or less sugar depending on how sweet you want it. Mix well.

Now add the dry ingredients (ie the flour and baking powder mixture) a little at a time to the wet ingredients.

Then using your hands, mix the flour into the wet ingredients till a  dough forms. Continue to add more flour until the dough becomes less tacky to your hands (does not stick to your palms).

Transfer the dough onto a plain surface, remember to dust surface with some flour first to avoid sticking. Roll the dough out, and cut into shapes as you wish.

To make twirls, Swirls etc, cut strips from the rolled dough and linking two or more strips, twist them into each other..

Heat some coconut oil (this oil gives an additional flavour to the chin chin) and deep fry until golden brown. Drain excess oil and immediately transfer fried twirls onto a tray and allow to dry.

Chin Chin Truffles

A truffle is a soft sweet, made with a chocolate mixture, and added flavours, often served as dessert; (not to be confused of course, with the expensive fungus delicacy, of the same name which is used in cooking.)

Chin-chin is a popular snack in Nigeria, made by deep frying a sweetened dough mixture. As part of my journey discovering new ways of serving Nigerian food, I have done a few things with chin-chin such as adding to desserts as a base or just to add  some texture crunch...

Chin chin could be quite versatile depending on how imaginative you are in the kitchen. (Check out all of my chin chin recipes here.)

So my newest creation, Chin Chin Truffles are so easy to make and are delicious to eat. They come in handy to serve to guests in combination with other sweets like coconut candy.

Check out how to make some below.

What you need
Good quality chin chin extra crunchy. You can buy some in the store or make some (recipe here)
Condensed milk
White milk chocolate

What to do
Place the chin chin into a plastic bag and using a rolling pin, crush into fine small pieces. You can also use a food processor to achieve the same outcome.

Transfer the crushed chin chin into a bowl and add the condensed milk and melted white chocolate. Stir all ingredients together until well combined. The result should be stiff mixture. (Adjust stiffness by adding more or less condensed milk.

Then with slightly moistened hands, take a little quantity at a time and roll into balls....(or use a mould to achieve what ever shape you prefer.

Chill before serving