Flashback to my childhood with Mama Lola’s Suman sa Latik

We Pinoys do love our kakanin, don’t we?

These are the sticky rice cakes that many of us used to wolf down for merienda after a bout of running around the neighborhood with our pals.

The term kakanin is the portmanteau of the Filipino words kain (“to eat”) and kanin (“rice”). Made with glutinous rice and coconut milk, and sweetened with sugar or accompanied by sweet fruits, these rice treats can go a long way in re-energizing youngsters after playing all afternoon and tide them over until dinnertime.

One of my favorites is the suman, a kakanin in which the glutinous rice is cooked in coconut milk and streamed and is usually served wrapped in banana leaves. There are many ways to enjoy this rice dessert: the ones my lola in Bataan used to make is composed of short cylinders of that I would dip in sugar before eating, while my mom likes to lightly fry some in oil until they get a little crispy.

I was already an adult by the time I came across a new variant called suman sa latik. In this suman iteration, the rice cake is doused with latik, or caramelized coconut milk. This makes for a decadent dessert or filling merienda.

Thanks to a fellow foodie sharing his snack stash, I was able to get a taste of Mama Lola’s Suman sa Latik one afternoon.

These suman are handmade with love, just like how our lolas used to make.

These are best enjoyed right away, but as I had a couple of telecons that Saturday afternoon, I delayed eating them for a while. No worries, though; I just reheated a piece in the microwave for half a minute before pouring some of the caramelized coconut cream sauce over it, and placed the rest in the fridge.

And since I couldn’t keep such a yummy treat to myself, I sent a few pieces over to my mom, who also loved it!

You can get your own box of Mama Lola’s Suman sa Latik for just Php200. It contains six pieces of banana leaf-wrapped suman and a generous helping of latik, more than enough to satisfy your suman craving.

To order, send your name, contact number, delivery address and number of orders to Mama Lola’s Suman sa Latik on Facebook or Instagram for delivery anywhere in Metro Manila or Cavite on Saturday. Cashless payments via BDO, BPI and GCash are accepted.

If you are not consuming your suman sa latik right away, they may be kept in the refrigerator for up to seven days. Aside from microwaving, they may be reheated using a steamer for thirty minutes.

Go ahead and order a box of Mama Lola’s Suman sa Latik to share with the fam and reminisce about the good ole’ days.

Thanks to Harvard of AlwaysHungry.PH for sharing his snack stash!

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