Chinese rice cake popular in Philippines

Nian Gao or Chinese rice cake is a staple of the Chinese New Year's celebrations. It normally consists of glutinous rice, but in the Philippines, it comes in many different flavors. Barnaby Lo reports on how one businessman has been able to make this traditional delicacy into a Filipino favorite.

Saying goodbye to the year of the dragon and hello to the year of the snake. In Manila's Chinatown, everyone seems to be vying for that golden fortune and make no mistake, there is no shortage of things red and round. But the best-selling product in all of Chinatown during this time of the year comes in square boxes inside The traditional Chinese New Year's rice cake or Nian Gao, locally known as tikoy.

Gerry Chua is the owner of Eng Bee Tin Chinese Deli a business he inherited from his grandfather and which he has grown into a brand synonymous to tikoy. And he's managed to attract not just the local Chinese market; his tikoy has in fact become a Filipino favorite.

And it's this fusion of Chinese and Filipino that has made Eng Bee Tin's tikoy the most popular in the country. Where else would you be able to see rice cake in so many colors and flavors From purple yam to pandan to sweet corn and now, even sugar-free tikoy.

And this is where all the magic happens. Eng Bee Tin actually makes these rice cakes or what's locally known as tikoy all year round. But during the Spring Festival, they produce as much as 20 times what they usually make. And these workers They're here working round the clock.

Mixing molding steaming cooling and finally sealing them for freshness.

Today, these multi-colored and multi-flavored rice cakes can be found in almost every Chinese deli and grocery in the country a sign of just how much Filipinos love tikoy and how they've also come to embrace Chinese culture and traditions.