Suman sa lihiya is the most special suman for me. This is because of the memory attached to it. My sister- my best friend, and I used to make Suman Sa Lihiya for Christmas or New Year. We used to make it from scratch and we did master the way to cook it. I must say we made the best tasting suman. Everyone in the family appreciated it. Cooking suman was enriching to our family relationship. It really bonded us and perharps that was what added to the taste of the suman.
SUMAN SA LIHIYA WITH LATIK
SUMAN SA LIHIYA WITH LATIK
adapted from Sarap Pinoy cookbook
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups gluitinous rice ( malagkit rice)
2 teaspoons lihiya ( lye water)
Latik:
2 cups coconut cream (kakang gata)
2 cups muscovado sugar
Coconut Sprinkle (Budbod) (Optional)
2 cups dessicated coconut or sapal ( the grated coconut that the coconut milk was extracted from)
1 cup sugar
Wash glutinous rice three times then soak in water for 20 minutes.
Drain and add the lye water.
Cut banana leaves in rectangles ( about 8″x 6″).
Pass it over medium-high flame to wilt it and make it pliable otherwise it will tear.
Put about 3 tablespoons of soaked rice on a piece of banana leaf; fold sides to make a packet, set aside.
Repeat the process until all the rice is wrapped.
Tie the suman in pairs- the folded sides should face each other.
Arrange suman in a pot lined with banana leaves; put something heavy on top ( I used a ceramic dish) to prevent the suman from floating.
Fill the pot with water until the suman is submerged.
Bring to a boil over high heat; then lower heat to simmer and let cook for 45 minutes to an hour.
Meanwhile make the coconut cream caramel sauce.
I didn’t make the sauce that comes with the recipe instead I made coconut caramelsauce: combine coconut cream and muscovado sugar in a saucepan, stir to dissolve the sugar then cook over medium heat until it thickens slightly.
The consistency should still be pour-able. For the coconut sprinkles or budbod: Combine sapal por dessicated coconut and sugar in a shallow pan or skillet.
Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly until the coconut browns.