The Search for Tikoy

Kung Hei Fat Choy!

For everyone unfamiliar, this is Happy Chinese New Year. This year I have decided to find myself tikoy which is a traditional filipino chinese snack made from something sweet that none of us can identify. Last Friday I met up with Kat, Rob and Caleb and we went to the Chinese New Year opening of official celebrations at Belmore park next to Central. After eating horrible fried chicken pieces and yummy Japanese pancakes (yes, Okonomiyaki for those of you that have seen Ranma) we wandered among the stalls in Dixon street, in the heart of Chinatown looking at things - and for tikoy.

I ended up with custard tarts - basically made of pancake dough with custard smacked into the middle - and no tikoy. Sunday I went with my uni friend Michelle (the other pinay at Sydney Uni after me & Andee, which brings the total to five overall!) her fiance, Jon and their extended network of family friends and cousins, all pinoy, of course back to Chinatown after church. They took me to their church, which is christian and known to the world as Hillsong. I had no idea that they were christian when we made arrangements to go to church together but it turned out to be a fun and interesting experience. The sermon was one of the liveliest I've ever been to. I still miss my staid old catholic church though, so I'll be back next Sunday.

We had dinner at the Market City food court which had some pretty decent pork chops and beef steak, which I didn't have (I had katsudon). Again, we headed over to the fair but were unable to find tikoy as the grocery stores were closed. I ended up eating Mango Crepe instead.

Yesterday, Monday I went back to the grocery and grabbed two small round plastic containers of tikoy, which were labeled "Year Cake". Kat had told me that they were called New Year Cake in this country, so I figured, this is probably it. So I took them home and attempted to cook them. The resulting conversations with my cousin and Kat below, pretty much tell you what happened.

Lars: I found TIkoy!!!
salingkat: haha - where?
Lars: in some chinese grocery in chinatown
Lars: it said "year cake" so i figured
Lars: eto na yon
salingkat: excellent.
Lars: i will find out for sure after i cook it hahaha
Lars: so how do i cook this tikoy again? just cut slice and fry in egg right
salingkat: i dunno about the egg but the one we had was just sliced and fried - thick slice for soft and gooey, thin slice for crispy
Lars: i think i got the wrong thing tho
Lars: its kinda brown
Lars: and i dont see it frying very much
Lars: oh well we'll see! hehehe
salingkat: yeh, ours was brown
Lars: really? okay!
salingkat: don't fry it on a teflon pan cos i won't crisp
Lars: i dont think we have anything thats not tef
Lars: but ive used a medyo worn out pan
salingkat: ah...then i dunno if you can get it crispy
salingkat: *LOL* you might end up eating some teflon
salingkat: that's what happened with our first, cheap rice cooker. the rice at the bottom had silver bits from the teflon coating coming off
Lars: dude its getting sticky lang
Lars: its not getting crisp
salingkat: hay. teka muna, i'll ask my mum
salingkat:
Lars: ill give you the other one tomorrow
Lars: and then you can tell me if i got the right one
salingkat: ok, mum said don't put too much mantika
salingkat: use cooking oil spray
Lars: i did!
salingkat: mum said it should be the same colour as a brown kutsinta (not the orange one)
Lars: oh okay but it was brown to start with
salingkat: is it on medium heat?
Lars: was it supposed to be brown or did i buy the wrong thing
salingkat: yes, that brown when it starts
salingkat: should take about 2-3 mins to get crisp
Lars: okay. i try again!
salingkat: sabi ni mama, ang laki daw ng problema mo! haha
salingkat: take a photo of the package and send it to me. i'll send it to mum and ask her...
salingkat: bobo talaga ko sa filo food. all i know is taho.
Lars: i took pictures wait! ill send them to you!
salingkat: hahaha...okay
salingkat: baka naman ibang tikoy ang pinaguusapan nating dalawa
salingkat: is it like this? http://desarapen.blogspot.com/2005/02/tikoy.html
Lars: success!
salingkat: woohoo...crispy na?
Lars: noooo but it tastes like tikoy
Lars: hahahaha
Lars: its a gloopy mess
Lars: with some egg
salingkat: *LOL*
Lars: yes! thats it! how come mine doesnt look like that
Lars: how do i make it like that
salingkat: ewan, ours was like that. maybe slice thinner?
salingkat: or turn the heat up a little bit

mazzv: hello
mazzv: i got ur sms... did the tikoy taste the same as in mla?
Lars: noooooooooo
Lars: i cant cook tikoy to save my life
Lars: i dont even know i f i bought the right thing
Lars: the first batch turned into a glutinous mess
mazzv: diba u just dip it in egg then fry it in a bit of oil
Lars: the second batch well.
Lars: first of all, malay ko ba kung tama yung binili ko diba
Lars: its not like you can say tikoy
Lars: and get the right thing
mazzv: hahaha
mazzv: baka u dont cook it na?
Lars: then that would make it kalamay
mazzv: ahhhhh
Lars: wait! the second batch of tikoy turned out decent
Lars: even if it is a gelatinous mush
mazzv: eeeww
mazzv: is it edible?
Lars: yes!
mazzv: does it taste like tikoy?
Lars: but i have to try again
Lars: and yes it tastes like tikoy
mazzv: good

Okay. I made a third batch of tikoy, had to run upstairs and get something and came back to find it gloopy. So I've given up. I'm taking the second pack to Miel's (my cousin) house and letting her figure it out. I'm not wasting anymore tikoy. Also I'm having my mom send some with my uncle when he comes in February!

Also...no pictures of the tikoy...I'm still going to eat it but i dont think anyone else wants to see a glutinous mess, even if it does taste the way its supposed to...