Nigerian Puff-puff is a pillowy soft ball-shaped snacks made from a yeast dough. This snack is so popular and it is eaten in every region of the country. Puff-puff is also often served as Canapés in different types of social events. Some people would even say it is the most important on any small chops platter.
Small chops is the Nigerian lingo used to describe a plate or serving of an assortment of spring rolls, samosas, peppered beef and so on. Small chops is so in demand in Nigeria that there are many businesses dedicated to delivering freshly made ones to customers daily. Jums kitchen is an example of one of such businesses.
Interestingly, Puff-puff is not limited to only Nigeria as there are similar variations of the recipe in different parts of the world. In neighboring Ghana, it is called Bofrot, in some parts of East and South Africa it is Madazi, in Italy Zeppole and in France, Beignet.
Making Puff-puff requires very few and affordable ingredients. It is also super easy.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups of plain flour
- ¾ cup of sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Lukewarm water
- 1 sachet/ 7g of yeast
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg or cinnamon (optional)
- Vegetable oil for frying
METHOD
Step 1: Proof the yeast, both active yeast and instant yeast will work nicely. If you want to use instant yeast, you can skip the proofing step. However, it is best practice to always prove the yeast when using active yeast.
Step 2: Combine the dry ingredients and slowing pour in your lukewarm water. Mix well to make the batter,
Step 3: Leave to proof. The batter needs to proof in a warm place for about an hour. A little more or less or till the batter rises about twice or thrice its original size.
Step 4: Be sure to let your oil get hot before frying the puff-puff. If the oil is not hot enough, the puff-puff will end up being oily.
In this video below, I demonstrate the recipe for you in a beginner’s friendly way.
So, that’s it. Making Nigerian puff-puff is as simple as ABC and I’d love to hear from you in the comments if you’ve tried out this recipe. See you in the next post.
