Is My Blog Burning? Something sticky and sweet: Suman

When I heard rice was the theme of the 4th ed. of Is My Blog Burning? I knew I had to participate. As a Filipina born and raised in Hawai'i, I grew up eating rice. I had it for breakfast, lunch and dinner in all forms, usually as an accompaniment rather than a main dish. At first, I thought about featuring my "infamous" fried rice recipe, infamous for unusual additions of oyster sauce and ketchup, but then decided to make something sweet. Sticky. Something for dessert. What stands out from my childhood is suman, coconut-flavored sweet sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves. A traditional Filipino snack, suman is something my mother would bring home from the market by the dozens. As I researched more about this particular treat, I learned that most families got their suman from the market or bakery as well. No one I knew ever attempted to make it at home. I wondered, is suman really that hard and time consuming to make?

Thus began my suman experiment. Into a large pot:

3 cups sweet rice (soaked for 30 minutes, then washed and drained)
5 cups coconut milk
3 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar

For a different touch, I added 3 cinnamon sticks (1.5-inch pieces) and 2-3 teaspoons vanilla. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Cook until rice absorbs all liquid, approx. 15-20 minutes. Cool slightly and set aside.

Be sure to taste the rice--should not be too sweet. If you desire sweeter, see step below.

Cut 12-15 banana leaves into 5-inch by 7-inch pieces (if frozen, be sure to defrost first!) Soften the leaves by blanching in hot water for 15-20 seconds. Dry with paper towels. Take one leaf and place about 3-4 tablespoons of the rice filling along the center of the leaf. If the cooked rice wasn't sweet enough, you can add brown sugar at this point. Sprinkle about a tablespoon or two over the rice.

Roll up the banana leaf by folding in the two ends, then rolling into a log. Repeat with the rest of the banana leaves until you've used up all the filling.

Place the suman seam side down in a deep, wide pot. Add enough coconut milk to cover at least the first layer.

Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, covered, approx. 30-45 minutes.

Cool slightly, then unwrap and enjoy!

Suman will keep for several days. Do not refrigerate or rice will get hard. Best enjoyed fresh. Serve with ripe mango and extra brown sugar.

Thank you Chez Pim for hosting this great theme! Until next time...

Comments

[Reid]

Creen,

Thanks for making this. Believe it or not, I eat this at least once a week! One of the girls in the office buys it from somewhere in Chinatown. Now I'm going to tell them that I know how to make it...ummmm, on second thought, maybe I shouldn't. Then maybe they'll ask me to make it for them. =) Thanks for sharing!

[Renee]

nice post!
and in South East Asia, the Malays (and peranakans too) have a version which is sort of savory and slightly sweet... coconut milk-cooked glutinous (sweet) rice, with a savory and spicy dried shrimp sambal filling.
I love that version, and now, may try yours too.
thanks for sharing : )

[Claudine]

Yay, Suman! I was wondering if someone would post on this! Your version looks absolutely beautiful - I love the twist with cinnamon and vanilla! Now I've got to find some banana leaves...I didn't realise they were available frozen...

[Karen]

Hi Creen, I got here from Pim's blog. It's wonderful how you made the taken-for-granted suman international. Suman in the Philippines can come in a lot of varieties. One I like very much is the one from northern Luzon (Pangasinan, La Union, etc) with strips of young coconut and roasted. Mmmmm!!!

I like the way you cooked yours with cinnamon. I wonder though if latik (coconut milk boiled till the oil separates from the cream) will still go with it. I guess there's only one way to find out! :-D

[franswa]

hey creen,
i've always had the traditional plain suman but i normally like to fry it until it's a crisp golden brown and soak it in a bowl of coffee or hot chocolate but you've just inspired me with some ideas i would like to try out...thanks for the recipe!

[Apanalei]

Aloha e Creen,
I think we should have a suman cook-off, I'll be a judge since I don't spend much time in the kitchen. I must admit though, I've been inspired by your recipe! Great write-up.....keep em comin'....

[d]

thanks sooooo much for posting this recipe. believe it or not, i have been searching for this item for years. i'm not filipino so i did not know what to ask for. everyone i would describe this to would tell me it's probably bibinka. i had a filipino uncle (married to my aunt) and he would never share the name or recipe. when he passed away, we were soooo bummed. i have since learned that suman is special and a "secret" recipe passed down through families.....so thank you so much!!!!

aloha!!!
from a very happy samoan girl

[Andy]

Hi!
Thanks for sharing.
Do you cook the sweet rice until done or halfway done before wrapping and steaming ?
Have a great day!!!

[Richard Clark]

Very nice site. Please keep updating it.

[Angie Barcelona]

Hi! gud Day!
we are 4th year accountancy students and we are now conducting our feasibility study. We choose Suman to be our product, and now we are in need of your help to please send us the Raw materials, Machineries and equipment used in making the product. thank you!!
We are hoping for your immediate response!
God bless!

[jan gridley]

my mother was from leyte and their suman is basically the same but they put anise while rice is boiling and no sugar, you dip it in a mixture of freshly grated coconut and brown sugar, absulutely yum-mmo!Can also be frozen and just microwave or steam again to eat. So handy to have anytime you want.

[maleen86]

hi... i am a Filipino and was raised in the Philippines. I just came here in America and got pregnant. NOW, im CRAVING for SUMAN! shame on me, i didnt learn how to make one when i was still in the Philippines. Thanks for your help! means a lot to my CRAVINGS! God Speed!

[olaine po]

nice to see people interested at sharing their knowledge in cooking.just want to know if rice is half cooked or well done before wrapping with banana leaves.thanks!

[teresa]

hi! thanks for this blog! I'm doing research on filipino food and this helped me a lot!!!

[Sweetheartt]

hi, thanks for da recipe post. i am pinay but like one of the writers above, i nevr bothrd to learn how to make suman. thanks to internet, its dat easy to look up da recipe and thanks to you!!!!

[Manang]

I just had to come back to this very old post of yours because I have two bags of sweet sticky rice sitting in my pantry!
I will try making these for Christmas (I am not the one hosting, but will let my in-laws have a taste of a truly authentic Pinoy delicacy).

[Marci]

I, too, am researching Filipino recipes that I grew up with. Unfortunately, my mom and dad never wrote down their recipes. With the exception of the well known dishes (lumpia, adobo and pancit), I've been researching recipes but I can't remember some of the names. I was surprised to find suman. My mom always made Biko for Thanksgiving and Christmas but, every once in a while, my dad would make suman. What a delicious treat! The flavor of the banana leaves in the rice creates a unique tasting dessert. After unwrapping the leaves, I would dip the rice in brown sugar. Thanks for sharing this recipe - I will try to make it sometime in the future.

[G.O.]

This is awesome.....my most favorite filipino dessert and maybe now I can start my own traditions. Im a pinoy that grew up in Hilo Hawaii. We always buy these, but I now am old enough to be interested in making it and carrying on the tradition. Im going to try and steam it since that is what I remember it being like, but your recipe looks ono (delicious!)Mahalo Nui Loa (Thank you very much!)

G.O. from Kaiwiki Hawaii :)

[Kelly]

Oh thankyou sooooooooooo much for putting this recipe up on the web. I have been looking EVERYWHERE for it. I used to live next door to a philipine lady when i was young and she used to feed these to us when we were young and mum had gotten the recipe but lost it over the years. Oh these are my favorite thing to eat. I want my kids to eat them now.