Tikoy is a sticky rice cake usually enjoyed during Chinese New Year. This Filipino version of the traditional Chinese sweet rice cake, nian gao, is simpler but symbolizes similar things — luck, abundance and prosperity for the coming year.
(Do you love rice cakes? Try ube biko and bibingkang malagkit. Both are easy to make and crowd favorites.)
Chinese culture has found its way into Filipino culture that we sometimes don’t even realize what we’re doing has Chinese origins.
From food (pancit canton) to beliefs and traditions (feng shui and Chinese zodiac), it’s so intertwined with Filipino life we don’t give it a second thought.
One of these traditions is celebrating Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year.
Like the Chinese, Filipinos believe that doing certain things to welcome the new year would bring about a very auspicious year.
One of these things is giving out tikoy to friends and enjoying it with family because its sticky consistency symbolizes a strong and sticky bond among loved ones, as well as attracting and helping abundance stick to you.
Whether real or nonsense, one thing is certain — it’s delicious!
Let’s get to it
Why you’ll love making tikoy
It’s not easy to find Filipino-style tikoy where I live. So it’s fantastic that I’m able to make it at home. So easy too!
- Just 3 ingredients. It’s hard to believe that you only need 3 ingredients to make this sweet rice cake! But it’s true, and one of them is water.
- 1-bowl recipe. Plus, you’ll only need one bowl, which makes for a super easy clean up.
- No baking. And you don’t need an oven either. We steam our tikoy to perfect stickiness.
(Note that this isn’t the same as tikoy rolls, or tikoy that’s filled with peanut butter and covered with peanuts. That recipe is still in development!)
How to make
This is one of the easiest recipes to make.
Ingredients
You’ll only need 3 ingredients and one of them is water!
The most important thing to remember is to use the correct kind of flour.
You’ll need glutinous rice flour (same flour used when making espasol, royal bibingka and ube mochi).
It’s sometimes called sweet rice flour and despite its name, it’s naturally gluten-free.
We also use granulated sugar here so our tikoy is a light, creamy color. The darker ones you see in some stores are made with brown sugar.
Tools
You’ll need a steamer and pan/s that will fit in your steamer. I use 2 6-inch round pans.
Step-by-step photos
Grease baking pan/s with cooking spray or brush with oil. You can use whatever pan would fit in your steamer. I use 2 6-inch round pans.
In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients…
… until incorporated.
Sift the mixture into your prepared pans to get rid of lumps.
Boil water, then steam tikoy for 50 minutes to an hour, or until set and slightly translucent. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Run a thin sharp knife around the edges of the pan to help release the tikoy.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight. Remember to handle gently because freshly made tikoy is very soft.
Steamed tikoy can be eaten after steaming but if frying, slice the chilled tikoy (any size will work, we try to do 2×3 inch rectangles that are a quarter of an inch thick) then dip in beaten eggs. Fry in oil over medium heat until both sides are golden brown.
Expert tips
Easy, right? Here are tips for perfect tikoy every time:
- Ensure you thoroughly grease your pans so the tikoy doesn’t stick after steaming.
- Don’t worry if your batter is lumpy; we’ll use a sieve to transfer the mixture to the pan for the smoothest texture.
- Make sure to wrap your pan lid or pot cover with a tea towel or cloth so that water doesn’t drip into your tikoy while steaming.
- It takes about an hour to cook the tikoy so watch that you don’t run out of water while steaming.
- If frying the tikoy, allow enough time for the tikoy to chill so that they’re easier to slice.
- Still having a hard time slicing? Coat your knife in oil before using.
Recipe FAQs
You need to steam it some more. And make sure the water in your steamer is at a rolling boil at all times.
You may have over cooked it. Take it off the heat as soon as it sets and becomes slightly translucent.
Steamed tikoy will keep up to a week in the fridge. Fried tikoy will last up to a week in a covered container on your counter.
More “lucky” recipes
Whether you believe in lucky food or not, try these next time you’re celebrating something. They’re delicious either way!
You can serve tikoy for breakfast with a steaming mug of tsokolate, as an after-school snack, and even for dessert. We hope you enjoy this delicious Filipino-Chinese treat as much as we do.
Enjoy and happy steaming! Check out this collection of Filipino desserts for more delicious recipes.
Did you make this sticky delicacy? I’d love to hear all about it! Leave a comment or a star rating below. You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to see your creations!
You can also find me on Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube.
Tikoy (Nian Gao Filipino Style)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2½ cups glutinous rice flour also called sweet rice flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1¾ cup water
- eggs beaten
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Grease baking pan/s with cooking spray or brush with oil. You can use whatever pan would fit in your steamer. I use 2 6-inch round pans.
- In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients until incorporated.2½ cups glutinous rice flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1¾ cup water
- Sift the mixture into your prepared pans to get rid of lumps.
- Boil water, then steam tikoy for 50 minutes to an hour, or until set and slightly translucent.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Run a thin sharp knife around the edges of the pan to help release the tikoy.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight. Remember to handle gently because freshly made tikoy is very soft.
- Steamed tikoy can be eaten after steaming but if frying, slice the chilled tikoy (any size will work, we try to do 2×3 inch rectangles that are a quarter of an inch thick) then dip in beaten eggs.eggs
- Fry in oil over medium heat until both sides are golden brown.oil
Video
Notes
- The yield depends on how you slice your tikoy. We usually do 2×3 inch rectangles that are a quarter of an inch thick and get 32 slices. The estimated nutrition information is based on this number.
- Make sure you properly grease your pans so the tikoy doesn’t stick after steaming and wrap your pan lid or pot cover with a tea towel or cloth so that water doesn’t drip into your tikoy while steaming.
- Allow enough time for the tikoy to chill so that they’re easier to slice.
- Tikoy can be eaten after steaming but Filipinos usually fry them in egg.
- See post for more tips, FAQs and step-by-step photos.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
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