Suman (Filipino Sticky Rice Cake): Plain, With Chocolate and With Fruit

Comfort food for many Filipinos, suman is an inexpensive snack traditionally sold in

markets stalls and on the street by hawkers.

“Sticky rice cake shaped like a small log, wrapped in banana leaves, coconut fronds or
palm leaves, and steamed or boiled” is the most descriptive translation I can manage for
suman. To shorten the description to “rice cake” would cause a lot of confusion because
“rice cake” encompasses more than suman in this country.

There are so many varieties of suman in the Philippines, some associated with
particular regions. When using uncooked rice, often soaked for several hours in
water, suman is cooked submerged in water or coconut milk. When using cooked rice,
the wrapped suman is steamed.

Even the accompaniment for suman varies. The most common is a mixture of grated

fresh coconut and sugar. Some suman varieties are served with a dipping sauce of
coconut jam or chocolate.

My suman recipe uses sticky rice that has been cooked in coconut milk. The cooled rice
is double wrapped in wilted banana leaves then steamed for about 45 minutes.

If you want to add a little variety to modify and enhance both the appearance and flavor
of homemade suman, here are two suggestions.

Add pieces of chocolate to the rice before wrapping. The chocolate melts during
steaming and binds with the rice creating a marbled look. With every piece
of suman you put in your mouth, you get gooey chocolate. What more can you ask for,
right?

If you’re not a fan of chocolate but you love fruits, you can add chopped fruit to the rice.
Ripe mangoes make a lovely addition. Even canned peaches will do.

The plain and most basic recipe is given below, followed by instructions on how to make
the chocolate-flavored suman and suman with chopped fruits that you see in the photos
above.
Suman (Filipino Sticky Rice Cake)

ngredients

 1 cup sticky (glutinous) rice

 1 cup coconut milk
 1 pinch salt
 banana leaves
 niyog (grated mature coconut) to serve
 sugar to serve
 chopped chocolate for the chocolate suman
 chopped fruit for the fruity suman (mango is recommended)

Instructions

1. Rinse the rice several times, drain, place in a bowl and cover with water. Cover
the bowl and keep in the fridge for at least six hours.
2. Drain the rice. Cook in coconut milk with the salt (I used a rice cooker and it did
the job wonderfully).
3. Prepare the banana leaves by trimming and wilting (see illustration).
4. Cut the banana leaves so that you have 8 to 10 pieces that are about 8"x8"
square and another set of 8 to 10 pieces that are about 12"x12" square.
5. Place an 8"x8" piece of banana leaf on top of a 12"x12" piece. Place two to three
tablespoonfuls of cooked rice at the center.
6. Wrap the rice with the smaller piece of banana leaf, as tightly as you can, and
folding the sides neatly. Use the larger piece of banana leaf to wrap the parcel.
The double wrapping seals the rice well and serves as an insurance that in case
the first wrapping tears, there is another layer to protect the precious rice inside.
Repeat until all the rice has been wrapped.
7. Stack the parcels, seam side down, in a steamer basket. Steam over boiling
water for about 45 minutes.
8. Cool the suman for about 15 minutes before unwrapping to give it a chance to
firm up. Top with grated fresh coconut and sugar, and enjoy!

Cook’s Notes

Chocolate suman

Place about two tablespoonfuls of the cooked rice on a piece of banana leaf, add a
tablespoon of chopped chocolate (I used dark chocolate), wrap and steam following the
same procedure for the basic suman recipe.

Fruity suman

Again, place about two tablespoonfuls of the cooked rice on a piece of banana leaf, add
a tablespoon of chopped fruit, wrap and steam following the same procedure for the
basic suman recipe.

Updated from a recipe originally published in October 18, 2010.

uman mais is made from cornmeal that is a favorite snack in the Philippines. It is
considered as a kakanin like the Palitaw and Bibingki I made. Cornmeal is a common
staple food that is grounded from dried maize (corn). It has fine, medium, and coarse
consistencies
but not as fine as wheat flour. This type of suman is not like the sticky one’s that uses
glutinous rice. This is also called darak mais in our province of Pampanga.

Suman mais is made from cornmeal that is a favorite snack in the Philippines. It is considered
as a kakanin like the Palitaw and Bibingki I made. Cornmeal is a common staple food that is
grounded from dried maize (corn). It has fine, medium, and coarse consistencies
but not as fine as wheat flour. This type of suman is not like the sticky one’s that uses glutinous
rice. This is also called darak mais in our province of Pampanga.

I remember buying raw cornmeal from millers and my mom would then cook it with sugar. You
can also buy them in sari-sari stores placed in newspaper cones. In this recipe I’ll show you
another way of preparing cornmeal. Enjoy it with coffee, tea or a cold drink!

With just a few ingredients, you’ll be able to make this yummy treat. For the banana leaves, you
can find them in Asian stores. This is another way of enjoying cornmeal! It’s easy and quick to
make and a healthy snack for family and friends.

Ingredients

 1 cup cornmeal
 1 cup sugar
 1 cup coconut milk
 pinch of salt
 6 pieces banana leaves cut into squares approx 6 in. x 6 in. (for wrapping)
Instructions
1. Prepare the banana leaves wrapper by cutting them into 6 in. by 6 in. Turn on your
stove and pass the leaves on top of the fire being careful not the burn them. This will
make the leaves softer and much easier to fold when wrapping the suman.
2. In a bowl. Add all ingredients and mix well until incorporated. The mixture should be
cohesive or stick together.
3. Take one banana leaf and lay it down on a plate. Scoop 1 ½ tbsp of the cornmeal
mixture and lay it on top – in a rectangular shape (3½ in. by 1 in) – of the leaf.
4. Carefully fold the banana leaf together with the cornmeal until you reach the edge.
Then fold the open sides to seal the suman. Repeat the process until you finish all of
the cornmeal.
5. Place them on the streamer folded-side-down and steam for an hour. Cook time may
differ depending on the steamer or the way you steamed them.
6. Let cool down and serve. Bon Appetit!

Notes
You can use a large pot and place a trivet at the bottom as an alternative for a steamer.