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by Philipina A. Marcelo
Ah, I almost forgot that I have taken photos of these pieces of "heavenly" rice cakes, which we call in the Philippines as "suman". One of my thesis advisees who hails from Batangas - a province in the Southern part of Luzon - brought some to our little eating and videoke spree last Sunday, straight from her Mom's kitchen to my dining table. And they were absolutely delicious!
Suman is made from glutinous rice, or "malagkit". The rice is cooked in freshly extracted coconut milk and a little bit of salt. The coconut milk imparts rich flavor to the rice as it is cooked. The cooked rice is divided into about 150-gram portions, and each portion is wrapped in clean fresh banana leaves, which were slightly heated on direct fire to soften them. In some places in the Philippines, other varieties of suman are prepared using palm leaves, coiled into tubes to hold the cooked rice, rather than banana leaves. The wrapped cakes are then steamed until ready.
When unwrapped, a wonderful blend of aromas bursts and attacks the senses - in a delightful way! The banana wrapping coats the surface of the cake with a greenish color and a truly delectable aroma from the heated leaves. The cakes are usually topped with grated coconut meat, dried and slightly browned, and mixed with sugar and sesame seeds for taste, aroma and texture. For some suman varieties, fresh grated coconut meat is used as topping instead. Still, others use honey or caramelized palm sugar as dips.
Did this make you crave suman? Yes? Well, that makes two of us! =)
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