Happy Lunar New Year!

Known as "tikoy" in the Philippines, Nian Gao is a traditional Chinese New Year dish. Why it is so has many aspects. One interpretation is that "nian gao" is a homonym for 'every year higher and higher'. sabi nga nila, su-swertehin ang taong kumakain ng tikoy every Chinese new year. kaya ako, ayon, kumain din. haha. i don't really believe in that, but am wishing, that sana, it's really a good- more love and peaceful year- for me, for the people i love and to all of us.  balik tayo.hehe. Tikoy is made with glutinous rice flour, sometimes steamed and,other times, cooked in a pan and stirred until thick. It may be savory and sweetened. How it serves varies from region to region, but most of the time, here's how we- at home- cooked tikoy. :)

Take a sharp knife, position on top of the tikoy and press down. Don't cut using the sawing motion; otherwise, the cake will stick to the metal. The ideal thickness is 1/4 to 1/2 inch.

Dip each piece of it in beaten egg.

Fry the tikoy in batches. The temperature of the oil should be somewhere between medium and low.  You're just aiming na palambutin ang tikoy in the heat before the egg darkens too much.

Flip the tikoy to brown the other side. tapos, drain the cooked tikoy on a paper towels and serve immediately. take note, alam mong tama lang ang pagkakaluto mo if the tikoy is soft while the outside is golden brown and crisp.  so what are we waiting for pa? tikoy time na!  :)

"ang pao".

We spent the Chinese new year countdown at Century Park Hotel. when we were on our table having dinner, one of the hotel staff gave this red envelope to me. what's inside is a pair of chocolate. It is said that red color of the envelope symbolizes good luck and is supposed to ward off evil spirits.

                                                               "The Dragon Dance"

For centuries, Chinese have shown great belief and towards dragon and for them, the most exciting and spectacular way of expressing gratitude for the dragon is the dragon dance. The Chinese new year dragon dance symbolizes the bringing of good luck and success in the coming year for all human beings on earth.

Here's the part of the dragon dance we saw last night- inside the hotel:

                                                                    Happy New Year!