Cheesy Tikoy Rolls

When we went to Tondo last week for the Feast of Sto. Nino, we passed by Binondo and stopped over at Eng Bee Tin to purchase a few boxes of tikoy and hopia. It was believed that family ties will be closer when you eat tikoy during the Chinese New Year. 

Left: Ube Tikoy, Right: Buko-Pandan Tikoy

The kids could not wait for January 31st to have a taste of the flavored tikoys. They kept wondering if it will be more delicious than the plain ones. Hence, my husband and my eldest, who is learning to cook, fried some ube tikoy for our morning snack yesterday. Then, we had the buko-pandan tikoy in the afternoon. They all agreed that both flavors tasted great. They even wanted to go back to the store and try the other flavors! 

When I woke up this morning, I felt so hungry. And when I opened the refrigerator to look for something that I can eat, I realized we still have some tikoy left. I felt I wanted something nontraditional, not the usual tikoy dipped in beaten egg and then fried. I found a box of cheese and some lumpia wrappers. I knew then what I will do with these tikoy! 

Cheesy Tikoy Rolls

Ingredients: 

10 slices of tikoy 
100 grams cheese 
10 pieces of lumpia wrappers 
1/2 cup cooking oil 

Procedure: 

1. Separate the spring roll wrappers. Be careful not to tear them or create a hole. 
2. Slice the cheese into 10 equal pieces.
3. Lay a slice of tikoy on a spring roll wrapper. 
4. Place a slice of cheese over the tikoy. 
5. Wrap filling and seal the edges of the lumpia wrapper. 
6. Do the same with the rest of the sliced tikoy and cheese. 
7. Heat cooking oil in a pan. 
8. Over medium-high heat, deep fry the cheesy tikoy rolls until golden brown. 
9. Drain on paper towels. 
10. Serve while hot. 

As a last note, I highly recommend to use a soft kind of cheese, the one that melts easily but will not make the tikoy roll soggy. And of course, make sure that the lumpia wrappers are well-sealed so that cheese will not leak when it melts.