Any true Nigerian already knows by now that puff puff is a signature staple on item 7 at every owambe that goes down, you do not need to be told.  No matter how fancy the small chops platter is, if puff puff is not included, then it’s not a legit Nigerian shindig. Take our word for it. In fact, anytime we think of puff puff , we start to imagine the loud banging of owambe music and without a doubt, the titillating smell of party jollof also comes to mind.

However, as excited as the puff puff snack makes us, it can get pretty boring with the same old regular recipe. Puff puff is a snack that can be eaten in a variety of ways, it doesn’t have to be the cliche way of it being served alongside other filler snacks like spring rolls and samosa in platters. So, to break with convention, a few jazzed up puff puff recipes that’ll make you fall in love with this snack all over again.

ChocoPuff

Image C/O Bella Naija

Did you know you give this classic snack an upgrade by swapping out some of that dough for somje sweet chocolate chips? How creative! The perfect recipe for anyone with a sweet tooth.

RECIPE

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 litre oil, for frying
• Melted chocolate, for drizzling
• Icing sugar, for dusting
• 3 bars dark chocolate
• 100 g unsalted butter
• 1 tbs vanilla essence

Directions

1. In a mixer bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on high speed until well blended Add in the eggs and vanilla and beat until well blended.
2. Gradually add the flour and salt on low speed and stir in the chocolate (broken into pieces).
3. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place on a baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm (minimum of 1 hour).
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add the milk and vegetable oil, and whisk until the batter is smooth and free of lumps.
5. In a deep pan, heat oil until it reaches 360°F. Take a chilled ball of cookie dough and dip it in the batter, turning it over with your hands until it’s completely covered. Allow excess batter drip back into the bowl, and then gently drop it into the oil. Fry until they are puffed and a dark golden brown on all sides.
6. Remove them from the oil and place them on a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Repeat with the rest of the cookie dough balls and batter
7. Drizzle puff puff with melted chocolate and dust some icing sugar before serving.

Coconut Puff Puff

Image C/O African Bites

Add a sight twist to this dough-filled snack by tossing in toasted shreds of coconut. This crunchiness of this recipe is an absolute delight.

Add a slight twist to this dough-filled snack by tossing in toasted shreds of coconut. This winning recipe adds some crunchiness to the snack making it an absolute delight.

RECIPE:

PizPuff

Image & Recipe C/O 1q Food Platter

If you love pizza as well as puff puff, this one will snatch your heart. An original culinary craft by popular food blogger, Iquo Ukoh of 1q Food Platter, the pizpuff is a complete transformation from the regular puff puff which sees a base that one can fill up with an assortment of meats and veggies to create a whole meal.

RECIPE

Ingredients

• 2 cups of plain flour
• 1 tbsp of instant dry yeast
• 2 tbsp of sugar
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of Dry
• 1/4 teaspoon Thyme
•  11/4 cup of warm water

Ingredients For Topping

• 1/4 of each, sliced onions and green pepper
• 2 pieces of scotch bonnet pepper (sliced)
• 2 pieces of tomatoes (sliced)
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded meat of your choosing
• Pinch of salt
• Olive oil for drizzling
• Piece of foil paper.

Directions 

1. Sieve flour into a clean bowl and add all the dry ingredient mix properly.
2. Add warm water and mix until you have a smooth paste.
3. Cover with a clean damp cloth set in a warm place and allow mixture to rise for about 35-40 minutes, until it doubles its size.
4. When dough has doubled it’s size, add some dry pepper and a pinch of thyme, mix well.
5. Line baking pan with foil or grease proof paper. Use your palm to rub some little oil on the paper to prevent the pastry from stickiness.
6. Pour about 1 cup of pastry onto the tray , spread out evenly.
7. Arrange the vegetables and meat of your choosing on the pastry, sprinkle some black pepper & a little salt and bake for about 30-40 minutes until the top of the dough turns brown.
8. Pierce a skewer through the dough to check if ready. If it comes out clean, then the pizpuff is ready.
9. Remove Pizpuff from oven, remove the foil and place dish on a pizza board. Drizzle some olive oil atop and serve hot.

Banana Puff Puff

Image C/O Nigerian Food TV

If you’ve already master the classic puff puff recipe, then you’ll learn to whip this up in no time. Another way to use your ripe bananas, the banana puff puff is simply the timeless Nigerian snack with a twist. A banana-esque twist.

RECIPE

Ingredients

• 3 overripe bananas
  
• 3 cups of flour
• 2 teaspoons of dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• A quarter teaspoon salt
• Half cup liquid milk
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 litre vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Mix yeast and warm water in a bowl.
2. Peel and blend bananas together with milk and pour into yeast and water mixture.
3. Add in flour, nutmeg and salt.
4. Mix everything together to form a thick batter.
5. Cover with a plastic wrap and/or kitchen towel and put in a warm place to rise for about one hour. I normally heat my oven for about a minute, turn it off and put it in there. You could also put it in a microwave just after food has been heated in it. Note that if you put it in a place that is not warm enough, it will not rise. After one hour, it must have doubled in size.
6. Heat oil on medium heat.Use your hand to scoop about spoonfuls of the batter and drop into the oil. If this process is tedious for you, just use a tablespoon to put the batter in the oil. Dip the spoon into water from time to time so the batter comes off easily.
7. Allow to fry on medium heat until one side is golden brown then you flip to the other side. 
8. Remove and place on paper towels to absorb oil. 

Try out these flavorful twists on Puff Puff and you’ll be glad you did.

Feature Image by Olupitan Olusanya