Suman (Coconut Sticky Rice)
Total Time: 2 hours Active time: 1 hour
Yield: ~20 suman
Ingredients:
3 cups long grain sticky rice
1 cup sugar (white or brown)
1 tsp salt
1 can coconut milk
1 can coconut cream
1 tsp vanilla
3 TB molasses (optional)
1 mango (optional to serve with)
1 package banana leaves
Instructions:
1. Put rice in a large bowl and cover with cold water for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, wash banana leaves in the sink with boiling water. Clean and dry them off with towels on your counter. Cut them into roughly 10 inch squares (doesn't need to be precise). Also cut off the the hard strip of the leaf to use as ties.
3. Rinse and drain the rice. Cook the rice, coconut milk, and coconut cream in a large pan on medium low for about 5-10 minutes, stirring often until it thickens. Add sugar, salt, vanilla, molasses and cook another 8-12 minutes with the lid on the water is absorbed. Set a timer and stay close by to watch it. Test that rice is about half-cooked. It should break easily but still be somewhat firm.
4. Spoon 3 heaping spoonfuls onto a banana leaf and wrap. Fold the ends in and tie with long strips of banana leaf on each side.
5. Steam for 40-60 minutes, making sure you don't run out of water. I use a large pot with a steamer basket. You could use instant pot, 15 minutes high pressure, natural release. Serve with sliced mango.
Notes:
Brown sugar with molasses is preferred at my house. You can find banana leaves in the freezer section of Mexican and Filipino grocery stores. Be sure to get long grain, not short grain sticky (sweet) rice. I found the rice at an Asian grocery store called Ranch 99.
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| Cutting the ties |
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| Stirring the sticky rice |
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| Rolling up the suman |
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| In the steamer |
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| Unwrapped steamed suman with mango |
