How to cook Homemade Special Tikoy

Special Tikoy Recipe – One of the things we Filipinos love about Chinese New Year is receiving one delicious dessert, which is Tikoy. Tikoy is a rice cake that is called Nian gao in Chinese, which means ‘Year cake.’ This rice cake symbolizes prosperity.

The history of this gooey dessert can be traced back to more than a thousand years. It is a dessert that you can eat any time of the year, but it did become a custom to eat this during the first day of the lunar year. After some years have passed, and given how cultures spread, even other nations started to take part in the celebration, including eating and giving Tikoy. Now, here in the Philippines, Tikoy is a dessert we look forward to during the Chinese New Year.

The taste of Tikoy is undeniably tasty, but there’s more to love about it than just its taste. One of the reasons to love Tikoy is that it has health benefits. The primary benefit that people can get from eating it is it is a good source of energy. High carbohydrates content is present in Tikoy because of ingredients in it, like rice flour and sugar. Carbohydrate is a good source of energy. Of course, you should not eat this regularly, but if you do eat Tikoy, there is no need to worry about consuming more carbs for the day because you already have consumed the needed carbohydrate for the day if you do eat this. Plus, it helps you feel fuller. So, it is a good filler if you feel hungry. But remember, consuming this must be done in moderation.

Since Chinese New Year is drawing near, make giving your family and friends Tikoy extra special by making it on your own. Yes, it would be easier to buy instead of making it, but would it not be more thoughtful that way. There is no need to get intimated in making this, and the recipe is not as hard as it looks. It only has a handful of ingredients with a process that involves combining the ingredients and steaming them.

Additionally, it takes only an hour to finish. You can do other things as well as it cooks. Learn how to make Special Tikoy Recipe below.

Special Tikoy Ingredients and Cooking Procedure :

Homemade Special Tikoy

Ed Joven

Homemade Special Tikoy Recipe is one of the most popular and lucky food to eat during Chinese Festivals. This recipe will teach you how to cook your own at home.

5 from 6 votes

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine Chinese

Servings people

Calories 240 kcal

Ingredients

Tikoy:

½ cup warm water
5 tbsp. refined sugar
2 cups glutinous rice flour “Malagkit”
A pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
6-8 tbsp water as needed add 1 tbsp at a time
1 tbsp oil for greasing

You also Need:

2 medium Llanera
2 6×8 aluminium foil, use to cover your Llanera
A steamer with at least 1.5 liters of water

To Fry you need Eggwash:

1 large egg beaten
1 tbsp. fresh milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup desiccated coconut (optional)
¼ cup canola oil for frying

Instructions

Prepare the wok for steaming.
In a bowl, mix the boiling water and the sugar. Stir constantly to dissolve. (If using peen tong, break the candy into several pieces, so that it will dissolve more easily in the boiling water.) Cool.
Soak the Chinese dates in hot water for at least 30 minutes to soften. Another way is to place them in a bowl with water and microwave on high heat for 30 seconds. Cut the dates in half and remove the pits.
Place the glutinous rice flour in a large bowl. Make a hole in the middle and add in the sugar and water mixture. Add the milk and begin shaping the dough.
Add 1 tablespoon of water to the dough at a time, until you have a smooth dough with a satiny texture. Mix ½-¾ of the Chinese dates, nuts or other dried fruit as you are adding water and working with the dough.
Grease a 7 inch square cake pan with vegetable oil or non-stick cooking spray.
Place the dough in the cake pan and spread it out to the edges. Decorate with the remaining dates, lightly pushing them into the dough. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.
Steam the cake over medium-high to high heat for 45 minutes or until the edges of the cake pull away from the pan.
Remove the cake from the heat and cool.
Use a knife to loosen the edges, then remove the cake.
Wrap in wax paper and refrigerate overnight.