Chinoy bites

THE awaited Chinese New Year rolls in this midnight and today’s Live! issue will try to enumerate for the heck of tradition and nostalgia, a few Chinese-Pinoy snacks that everyone has learned to love through the years.

Tikoy. A fitting article starter, this favorite local snack is more popular as nián gao in China. Interestingly, the Chinese consider this as a year cake, or Chinese New Year cake. But that’s not to say that the best tikoys in town are only out every Chinese New Year. Although, the Chinese consider it lucky to eat tikoys (the name taken from Hokkien) every Chinese New Year since nian gao is a homonym for “higher year.”

But back to fact, these rice cakes are prepared in a variety of ways and are also subject to multiple types of presentation.

Hopia. Not known to most people, these sweet rolls are also alternately known as bakpia. The name hopia, which when translated literally means “good pastry,” is a popular bean-filled pastry that comes usually in either cube or coin shapes.

It is said that the hopia was originally introduced by Fujianese immigrants in the Philippines around the early 1900s. Since then, this bean-filled treat has become a widely-accepted snack and a favorite pasalubong.

The traditional ones would be those that are filled with Mung bean paste. But eventually in the Philippines, alternative fillings include, but are not limited to, pork and ube.

Buchi. A common end choice after a lauriat, buchi is basically a pastry made from glutinous rice flour. It is mixed and formed into little balls, then coated with sesame seeds before frying to achieve a crisp layer but a hot and chewy interior. The inside is usually hollow, leaving room for some little bean paste to taste.

Dim Sum. Everything mentioned before this one seems to prove that Asians really can’t get enough of their rice; even using it on their desserts/snacks. Well, here’s one snack that’s sure to earn the praise of meat lovers.

Although “dim sum” is not the name of the food per se, but it refers to the style by which some Chinese style dishes are prepared and then served in small steamer baskets. The menu usually contains steamed or fried items of pork, beef, chicken, fish, seafood and vegetable options.

The most popular dim sum in Cebuano history? Siomai—or pork dumplings. Pinoys just love their pork. But then again, they usually order a cup of rice to go with their dim sum.

So there it is—a short and simple enumeration of some food bites that the Chinese introduced. Celebrate Chinese New Year, Kung Hei Fat Choi!