They are one and the same…food prepared from glutinous rice which is pounded or ground into a paste then molded into shape or cooked again. While it can be eaten all year round, it is most popular during Chinese New Year as it is considered good luck to eat NIAN GAO which sounds like higher year. It is the belief that when one eats this, it is like raising oneself higher for the coming year.
The preparation for TIKOY, NIAN GAO, CHINESE NEW YEAR CAKE, or TIKAY –whichever way you want to call it –varies depending on custom and cuisine.
In the Philippines, we usually have it similar to Guangdong— sweet, pan fried and coated in egg. In fact, there are several tikoy flavors now available–ube, pandan and with white or brown sugar. Splenda tikoy soon? I like mine pan fried in a coated pan with no egg and eaten with cheese. Different strokes for different folks!
In our side of town recently, I witnessed a novel way of eating tikoy. Still coated lightly with egg and pan fried but served with 3 sauces…mango, strawberry and rasberry.
Tikoy pan fried, microwaved, brown, white, purple, rolled with sesame seed, served with sauce, cooked with vegies, eaten with cheese…..whatever way you choose, just enjoy eating it and raising yourself!
BTW, tikay is not the female version of tikoy. It is tikoy in Burmese =)