• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Your Top Source of Filipino Recipes
About
Cooking Schools
Contact
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube

Panlasang Pinoy

Your Top Source of Filipino Recipes

  • New? Start Here
  • All Recipes
  • Course
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Appetizers
    • Dessert
    • Dinner
  • Ingredient
    • Chicken
    • Pork
    • Beef
    • Turkey
    • Vegetable
    • Fish
    • Rice
    • Egg
    • Tofu
    • Noodles
  • Type
    • Adobo
    • Bread
    • Fried Chicken
    • Sinigang
    • Kilawin
    • Ginataan
    • Kaldereta
Home Recipes Dessert Recipes

Tikoy Recipe

Tikoy or Nián gāo is a type of rice cake made from glutinous rice flour and considered as a centerpiece during Chinese New Year. This is also popularly known as Chinese New Year pudding.

The Philippines is once considered as the melting pot of Asia. People of different origins call it home – including the Chinese. Chinese customs, traditions, and good food were embraced by the Filipino’s and even make it a part of their own.

The legend behind the Tikoy tells about a Kitchen God that observes the behavior of each family for a year. It was said the Kitchen God goes back to heaven before the Chinese New Year to report the findings; a depressing report would mean a year of bad luck for the family. According to the legend, feeding sticky rice cake to the Kitchen God will make it difficult for him to say anything against the family – it will be difficult to speak when his mouth is full and the sticky rice cake will keep his mouth shut.

How do you want your Tikoy cooked? I like mine dipped in beaten egg and fried.

Happy Chinese New Year! Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Jump to Recipe
SharesFacebookPinTweet
By: Vanjo Merano 14 Comments Updated: 9/2/18

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Tikoy or Nián gāo is a type of rice cake made from glutinous rice flour and considered as a centerpiece during Chinese New Year. This is also popularly known as Chinese New Year pudding.

Tikoy Recipe

The Philippines is once considered as the melting pot of Asia. People of different origins call it home – including the Chinese. Chinese customs, traditions, and good food were embraced by the Filipino’s and even make it a part of their own.

The legend behind the Tikoy tells about a Kitchen God that observes the behavior of each family for a year. It was said the Kitchen God goes back to heaven before the Chinese New Year to report the findings; a depressing report would mean a year of bad luck for the family. According to the legend, feeding sticky rice cake to the Kitchen God will make it difficult for him to say anything against the family – it will be difficult to speak when his mouth is full and the sticky rice cake will keep his mouth shut.

How do you want your Tikoy cooked? I like mine dipped in beaten egg then fried.

Happy Chinese New Year! Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag us on Instagram at @panlasangpinoy or hashtag #panlasangpinoy so we can see your creations!

Tikoy Recipe

Tikoy Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes minutes
Cook: 45 minutes minutes
Total: 55 minutes minutes
Print Recipe Rate Recipe
Pin
Email
6

Ingredients

  • 3 cups glutinous rice flour
  • 1 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds
  • 1/2 cup dates pitted and chopped

Instructions

  • Combine water and brown sugar then mix well
  • Combine glutinous rice flour with the water and brown sugar mixture then mix thoroughly.
  • Add the pitted chopped dates then mix until every ingredient is well distributed.
  • Grease a round cake pan and transfer the glutinous rice flour mixture then sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.
  • Steam for 45 minutes. Make sure to cover the top part with cheesecloth to avoid water drippings.
  • Remove the tikoy from the cake pan and transfer to a wax paper or cling wrap then refrigerate for at least 5 hours. Take the tikoy out of the refrigerator. Cook using your desired method.It can be re-steamed, microwaved, or fried after dipping in beaten egg mixture.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 6g
© copyright: Vanjo Merano

Did you make this?

Tag @PanlasangPinoy on Instagram and be sure to leave a rating!

Rate Recipe
Tag On Instagram

Watch the cooking video:

YouTube video

Vanjo Merano

Vanjo Merano is the creator of PanlasangPinoy.com. His goal is to introduce Filipino Food and Filipino Cuisine to the rest of the world. This blog was the first step that he took.

Read more...

Related Posts

  • Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe
  • how to cook java rice
    Java Rice Recipe
  • Saffron Rice Recipe
SharesFacebookPinTweet

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question or comment below.

Recipe Rating




  1. Vanjo Merano says

    Posted on 2/13/12 at 11:54 am

    Gladen, dates adds flavor, but you can still make this without it.

    Reply
  2. gil says

    Posted on 1/6/12 at 11:58 am

    Hello there! Thank you for your tikoy recipe. I tried it and it worked. I just used my rice cooker as a steamer and it went well too.

    I follow most of your recipes because they are easy and I linked your website and videos in my blog as a reference for the recipes I’ve made.

    Thank you and keep sharing your recipes! =)

    Reply
  3. Angelica says

    Posted on 9/28/11 at 4:15 am

    can i use aluminum foil instead of cheesecloth?
    thanks and more power to you! God speed.

    Reply
  4. mindy says

    Posted on 5/26/11 at 10:43 pm

    We always have tikoy every chinese new year it signifies good luck. I always coat it with egg then deep fried and its also very yummy. I like most of your receipy bec its always nice and simple. Easy to follow especially with the video. I am an avid fan of yours.
    God Bless you and your family.
    Always,
    mindy

    Reply
  5. justine says

    Posted on 4/23/11 at 7:11 am

    can i use white sugar… not brown..

    Reply
  6. jon says

    Posted on 2/4/11 at 10:31 pm

    it is ok to use bamboo

    Reply
  7. ellen says

    Posted on 2/3/11 at 4:25 am

    hmmm this is one of my favorite’s…love it!!!

    Reply
  8. aurora bernal says

    Posted on 1/31/11 at 9:17 pm

    Thanks for sharing!
    …now i can do tikoy without just experimenting. Simple recipe with great taste!
    Keep it up & more power!

    Reply
  9. Ellen says

    Posted on 7/14/10 at 9:42 pm

    tikoy is always my favorite, but i have to wait every chinese new year to have a taste of it, thanks that now, i can do my own tikoy. thank you very much for all the recipes i am receiving in my mail. God bless

    Reply
  10. Panlasang Pinoy says

    Posted on 6/14/10 at 5:47 pm

    Hi dulz, hindi fresh ang dates na ginamit ko dito.

    Reply
  11. edlozada says

    Posted on 5/10/10 at 11:22 am

    Hi, I made this tikoy following your recipe and it looks good. I think it will taste good as well. I left out the dates because it is not available here at the moment.
    How do you take the tikoy from the pan? It sticks to the pan and it is very hard to take out. Maybe this tikoy will be ruined if i take it out.
    A friend of mine told me that tikoy is tastier if their are molds in it. Is it true? How do we get the molds to grow in it.

    Reply
    • Rio Sandoval says

      Posted on 2/7/11 at 10:39 pm

      did you grease your pan?

      Reply
  12. MindanaoBabe says

    Posted on 2/15/10 at 5:08 pm

    oi sakto may mga ingre ako d2 para sa tikoy…thanks kaayo dong ha!:)

    Reply
  13. Claire says

    Posted on 2/14/10 at 2:23 pm

    Hmmm! This is interesting 🙂
    It looks good though, yumm!

    Reply

sidebar

bio

Welcome!

As a huge fan of Filipino food, it is my goal to teach people how to cook it using the simplest way possible. Prepare your taste buds for an ultimate showdown of delectable Filipino dishes! Read more…

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube

Reader Favorites

Chicken Adobo Panlasang Pinoy

Filipino Chicken Adobo Recipe

Leche Flan Recipe

kare kare beef tripe

Kare-Kare Recipe (Beef Tripe)

Pork Sinigang

Sinigang

Receive new recipes by email!

Seasonal

Beef Morcon Recipe

Arroz Valenciana

lechon belly roll recipe

Lechon Belly Roll

Christmas Macaroni Salad

How to Make Macaroni Salad for the Holidays

As Seen In:

good housekeeping
parents
serious eats
livestrong
kitchn
sheknows
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube
About
Meet Vanjo
New? Start Here
Browse Recipes
Explore
Ingredient 101
Philippines
Cooking Schools
Privacy Policy
Disclaimers
Contact
© 2025 Panlasang Pinoy
Site Credits
Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
Back to Top
Back to Top