Not just fried: Chinoys share how to enjoy Tikoy for Lunar New Year

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February 15, 2026 | 12:50pm

MANILA, Philippines — If there is one food item that is best associated with the Lunar New Year, it is what we call Tikoy and what the rest of the world know as Nian Gao.

A sticky rice cake basically made from glutinous rice flour, water and sugar, it symbolizes love and harmony in the family and members sticking together through thick and thin. This is why it is one auspicious food that is served in Lunar New Year celebrations and is given to given as an edible present to friends, colleagues, and customers, among others.

Traditionally, there are two types of Tikoy to choose from — white and brown — depending on the type of sugar used in making it. There are so many flavors (with corresponding colors) to choose from, including mango, pandan, ube, and strawberry. And while it used to come in round form, it now comes in other forms, such as koi fish and ingot. It has also turned 3D — with embossed designs and all.

Now that the Year of the Fire Horse is upon us, the festivities have started and the Tikoy is ever-present again. But what do you do with it when you receive a box? How do you like it or how do you cook it? The traditional way is to slice the Tikoy, dip the slices in beaten egg, and pan-fry until the egg covering turns golden and the tikoy softens.

Philstar.com asked some Chinoy chefs and food entrepreneurs how they like their Tikoy, and here are their answers:

With Speculoos

Any Tikoy, be it brown, white, or flavored, is fine by Chef Jackie Ang Po, who runs her own Fleur de Lys Patisserie and develops recipes for food manufacturing companies, such as Arla Pro, Fly Ace Corp., Nestlé, Del Monte, and Purefoods, as well as companies representing foreign food groups like Potatoes USA, U.S. Poultry.

“We enjoy Tikoy as is. We just fry it,” she said. “As an innovation, you can serve it with peanuts, chocolate sauce, Speculoos, or pistachio spread.”

White preference

“I prefer white Tikoy, although brown Tikoy has another distinct flavor because the one who made it used brown sugar or panocha,” said Susan Ong of Le Delicieux Patisserie.  

She also shares her recipe for pan-frying tikoy.

Pan-Fried Tikoy

Ingredients:

3-4 eggs

1 kg. pcs. whole tikoy

Procedure:

1. Beat eggs until homogenous.

2. Cut round tikoy in half and then into slices.

3. Dip slices in beaten egg and pan-fry in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Cook until beaten eggs are golden brown and the tikoy has softened.

4. Serve with hot tea.

Rolls with filling

Chef Decker Gokioco is not a fan of the glutinous rice ckae but when he does eat it, he simply dips it in egg and enjoys it fried.

If he is buying the Tikoy, though, he would not buy the round one that needs to be sliced and cooked. He would buy the small Tikoy rolls with filling inside and rolled in sesame seeds.

Brown is tastier

“I prefer the brown one because it uses brown sugar. It’s tastier. The colored ones are just colored and flavored with drops,” said Chef Penk Ching, who is known as the Queen of Wedding Cakes, as she is the most sought after wedding cake maker of celebrities.

“After cutting the Tikoy, I dip the slices in beaten egg, toss them in all-purpose flour, and dip them in egg again before frying in hot oil,” she added.

Crunchy wrap

When asked about her Tikoy preference, Chef Catherine Blas-Yu is quick to respond: “I go for brown Tikoy over white Tikoy.”

On the manner of cooking it, the chef consultant for Save Bakery and Café Philippines likes to keep it simple. She dips it in egg and fries it. At times, though, she wraps the Tikoy slices in lumpia wrapper then fries them like Turon.

Homemade

“At Tzu Chi Foundation, we make our own tikoy,” said Ju.D Lao, whose own premium specialty fruitcakes and chewkies are the most sought-after during Christmas. Lao is the founder Tzu Chi Foundation and is known as the Queen of Fruitcakes.

Unlike regular Tikoy, Tzu Chi Tikoy has red beans and is made with muscovado sugar from Negros by Tzu Chi kitchen volunteers as their yearly project.

Less oil

Chef Jonas Ng, chef-owner of James & Daughters, confesses that he does not eat much Tikoy. But if he feels like eating it, he has it air-fried so it does not drip with oil.

“I also recently wrapped sliced tikoy with lumpia wrapper, like turon, and it was nice. It’s less oily when you air-fry it,” said Chef Jonas, who is not very particular with the color or flavor of Tikoy that he eats. “I’ll take any flavor of Tikoy I receive.”

He shares this recipe of Air-fried Tikoy the way he prepares it:

 Air-Fried Lumpiang Tikoy

Ingredients:

Tikoy, any flavor, sliced

Lumpia wrappers

Beaten egg

Oil spray

Procedure:

1. Slice tikoy.

2. Wrap each slice in lumpia wrapper the way you would a turon. Seal the edges with a dab of beaten egg on the edge of the wrapper.

3.  Air-fry at 175°C for 8 minutes or until golden brown. Do not overcook, because the tikoy may melt too much and squeeze out of the wrapper.

RELATED: Riding into the Fire Horse Year with awareness, warmth and a little guidance