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.