Nothing says good fortune more than good tikoy treats!
Tikoy easily becomes a household staple around the first quarter of the new year. This delicious rice cake is unbelievably popular in the Philippines for its delectable flavor, texture, and versatility in the kitchen! Tikoy or Nian Gao is traditionally a centerpiece delicacy in Chinese culture. Its translated meaning is “year cake” and is believed to promise good luck and prosperity for the year to come.
While everyone loves the traditional way of enjoying tikoy: dousing and frying in egg wash; there are also many ways to cook, innovate, and enjoy tikoy with fresh new recipes!
Check out these 10 cool and creative ways to cook tikoy as a snack, dessert, and even an entrée!
1. Deep-fried Cheese Tikoy Sticks
Recipe: GMA Network
Source: GMA Network
Cheese and tikoy rolled in a deep-fried batter? We're here for it! Try out this gooey cheese recipe and you'll surely be going for seconds and thirds during your Chinese New Year celebrations.
Ingredients:
- Tikoy cut into 1 cm thick strips
- 140g cheese, cut into strips
- 200g All-purpose flour
- 3 egg
- 300g bread crumbs
- Oil
Procedure:
1. Put a piece of cheese in between two tikoy strips then lightly press it. The cheese must be a little bit smaller than the tikoy strips.
2. Drench the cheese tikoy in flour then dip it in egg. Lastly, roll it in the bread crumbs.
3. Heat the oil for deep frying and cook the cheese tikoy until golden brown.
2. Ginataang Tikoy
Recipe: Booky
Source: Booky
Here’s a delicious dessert idea with another Filipino favorite ingredient: coconut milk! This is a warm bowl of sweet goodness with a symphony of textures from sago, kamote, and you’ve guessed it, tikoy too! A warm, comforting bowl is just what you need come the celebrations.
Ingredients:
- Tikoy
- Langka
- Sago
- Saging na Saba
- Water
- Kamote
- Coconut Milk or Gata
- Sugar
Procedure:
- In a pot, boil water and add sugar for flavor.
- Add the coconut milk into the mix and bring to a boil.
- Slice the following as you wait: saging na saba, kamote, and tikoy into cubes.
- Once your pot comes to a boil, add the sliced ingredients, langka, and sago into the mixture.
- Mix well until the ingredients are all cooked.
- Serve warm in bowls.
3. Tikoy Turon
Recipe: Sarap Channel
Source: Sarap Channel
Everyone's favorite merienda snack just got a Chinese New Year glow up! Turon will always be a crowd pleaser with its crunchy lumpia exterior and of course, sweet langka filling. Take the flavor profile of turon even further with sweet and chewy tikoy as the surprise center.
Ingredients:
- 1 box of tikoy, medium size (original flavor) or you can use any flavor
- lumpia wrapper
- langka strips (sweetened jackfruit in bottle)
- egg white
- 2 pcs eggs
- cooking oil
Procedure:
- Cut tikoy (sticky rice) into thin strips.
- Prepare the lumpia wrapper.
- Place a slice of tikoy and a strip of langka (jackfruit) on top of tikoy (you can add more jackfruit if you want).
- Dab egg white on the sides of the wrapper.
- Then, fold sides of wrapper and roll it tightly.
- Repeat the procedure until you finish wrapping all the tikoy.
- Heat oil in pan.
- Fry tikoy turon until golden brown in color.
- Use paper towels to drain excess oil from the tikoy.
4. Lumpiang Tikoy
Recipe by: Booky
Source: Booky
Being proudly Pinoy, Filipinos love serving lumpia as a party staple in any party! Combining two concepts in one, Lumpiang Tikoy is sure to be a crowd favorite this Chinese New Year. This recipe allows you to be extra creative by adding your favorite stuffing to go with tikoy’s delicious texture. We suggest Nutella, peanut butter, or ube with cheese!
Ingredients:
- Tikoy in premium white flavor
- cheese, peanut butter, Nutella (or whatever you’d like to stuff with tikoy!)
- spring roll wrapper
Procedure:
- Cut the tikoy into 3-4 inch strips.
- Wrap the tikoy and stuffing in a spring roll wrapper. Fold and seal tightly. Repeat until you finish wrapping all the tikoy you’ve prepared.
- Heat oil in a pan. Fry your lumpia tikoy in batches. Cook until golden brown in color.
- Serve it warm!
5. Tikoy Teok-bokki
Recipe: Kusina ni Teds
Source: Unsplash
A K-BBQ favorite, teok-bokki just got a Chinese New Year twist with tikoy in the mix! Let that first chewy and savory bite do the talking with this stew recipe that captures the K-Town flavor with the magic of tikoy. The smooth and chewy tikoy texture is a great complement to the spicy broth teok-bokki is known for.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon crab paste
- 2 tablespoons Gochujang
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 5 pieces tikoy, sliced into 1cm thick and 1in by 3 in long
- 1 stalk onion leeks, cut into 3 inches long
- 5 pieces lobster balls or squid balls
- 5 pieces fish tofu
- 6 pieces crab sticks
- salt
- Korean red pepper powder
Procedure:
- Bring water into simmer.
- Add crab paste, gochujang and sugar. Mix until ingredients are fully incorporated. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add tikoy, onion leeks, squid balls, fish tofu and crab sticks. Stir and simmer for 10 minutes over medium heat or until the sauce thickens.
- Season with salt to taste and Korean Red Pepper Powder of extra kick.
6. PB & Tikoy Sticks
Recipe: Kusina Ni Lola
Source: Kusina Ni Lola
Peanut lovers are in for a treat with this one! Here's an innovative way to making tikoy the perfect wrapping to your peanut butter dreams. the ground peanuts also had the perfect crunchy texture to make this dessert a 5 out of 5 in our book!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups glutinous rice flour
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 & 1/4 cups water
- 3/4 cup condensed milk
- 1 cup roasted ground peanut (for coating)
- Peanut butter (for filling)
Procedure:
- Add the glutinous rice flour, sugar, and water in a bowl. Mix all the ingredients well.
- Once mixed, pour the tikoy mixture into a pan lined with greased cling wrap.
- Steam for about 25-30 minutes in medium heat.
- Ground your roasted peanuts and set aside.
- Remove tikoy from steamer and remove cling wrap and tikoy from the pan.
- Use peanut butter for the filling and roll up the tikoy.
- Cut each roll in 4 inch sizes.
- Coat the pieces in grounded roasted peanuts.
- Serve and enjoy.
7. French Tikoy Toast
Recipe: Booky
Source: Booky
Tikoy for breakfast? Yes please! Upgrade your morning french toast during Chinese New Year morning with tikoy as the secret ingredient. Pair with your favorite cup of joe and you'll be wondering why you've only had this combo now!
Ingredients:
- Tikoy
- Sliced bread
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/3 cup icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar
- 3 tbsp. butter
Procedure:
- Combine eggs and milk in a bowl. Whisk until consistent.
- In a pan, melt butter.
- Place a slice of tikoy between 2 slices of bread.
- Brush the egg mixture on each surface of the sandwich.
- Pan fry on each side until golden brown.
- Dust each sandwich with sugar.
- Slice and serve!
8. Bibingkoy (Bibingka Tikoy)
Recipe: GMA News Network
Source: GMA Network
The best of both Filipino and Chinese desserts had a delicious mashup and bibingkoy was created! Fusions are always a great way to experience a duality of different cuisines. This particular one has jumped to the top of our lists for bibingka innovations! Get creative in the kitchen and serve a big batch of bibingkoy for the family to enjoy!
Ingredients:
- Tikoy
- Sweetened mongo
- Sugar
- Banana leaves
Procedure:
- Cut the banana leaves into several round pieces.
- Mold the homemade tikoy to a round shape using the mouth of a glass.
- Place the molded tikoy on a banana leaf piece, then top it off with sweetened mongo and cheese strips.
- Enjoy this bibingka and tikoy treat in one!
9. Ube Tikoy Rolls
Recipe: Kawaling Pinoy
Source: Kawaling Pinoy
The ube craze is alive and well in 2022! Hop on the golden trend and give this recipe a try with roasted peanuts in the mix. The flavor combination between the tikoy, ube, and peanuts is nothing short of godly, trust us!
Ingredients:
- Tikoy cake
- 1 cup roasted peanuts
- 1/4 cup ube halaya
Procedure:
- With a lightly-greased knife or dough cutter, cut tikoy into 8 even rectangles.
- Put the ube halaya in a piping bag and pipe a line or 2 along the edge of tikoy, lengthwise.
- Roll the tikoy into a tight log, enclosing the filling. Dredge in crushed peanuts to fully coat.
- Repeat with remaining steamed rice cake.
10. Tikoy Ala Mode
Recipe by: Booky
Source: Booky
Here's a combo of both tradition and modern cuisine! Cook your tikoy the classic way and top with your favorite ice cream and sprinkles. This Tikoy Ala Mode will surely be your new Chinese New Year dessert fave!
Ingredients:
- tikoy
- eggs
- ice cream of your choice
- crushed nuts or sprinkles
- chocolate or caramel syrup
Procedure:
- Cut tikoy into in 1 cm thick cuts.
- Beat your eggs into a consistent mixture and set aside.
- Turn on your stove into medium heat and oil the pan.
- Dip your tikoy strips into the egg wash and start frying both sides until brown.
- Top it off with a scoop of the ice cream.
- Add some crushed nuts or candy sprinkles.
- Then, to finish, drizzle your syrup of choice on top.
- Serve and enjoy!
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