The name itself is a conversation starter. After all, it sounds like you’re referring to “moron” as in “idiot” in the English language. Perhaps you could make it a clever way to break the ice on a date and have a good chuckle. Or to spite Valentines Day when it is not your preferred holiday. After all, just like that Kaiser commercial says, Valentines Day is one of the most polarizing holidays of the year -either you love it or you hate it.

But my favorite reason to make Suman Moron for Valentines Day is to have something else aside from the usual heart-shaped chocolate bars. Don’t get me wrong; I love a dark chocolate bar as much as the next vegan girl, but it’s good to try something new every once in a while.

Suman Moron, or Mor-on, or Muron is a type of Suman, a Filipino sweet rice dessert wrapped in aromatic leaves. Suman Moron is made of two sweet layers -vanilla and chocolate. The vanilla layer has sweetened glutinous rice flour while the chocolate layer has the same thing but with chocolate and brown sugar. Both layers are twisted together then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed for flavor infusion. The result is a heavenly combination of sweet flavor and chewy texture.

By the way, you pronounce “Moron” swiftly in one breath, NOT “more-on”, unless you’re cracking a joke or giving it to one (just kidding!).

Print Suman Moron for Valentines Day Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Category: Dessert, snacks A two-layer sweet treat with ground chewy rice and chocolate. Ingredients For the vanilla layer: 1 cup rice flour

1/4 cup glutinous rice flour

1 1/2 cup organic sugar

1 1/4 cup coconut milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract For the chocolate layer: 1 cup rice flour

1/4 cup glutinous rice flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/4 cup coconut milk

1 1/2 cup brown sugar For assembly banana leaves cut into big squares (or any desired size for wrapping)

oil for greasing the leaves

strings (I used twine)

water for steaming

steamer

2 small pots for cooking the two layers For topping (optional) grated coconut

brown sugar

toasted crushed nuts Instructions Prepping the vanilla layer Before heating a small pot, add in the rice flour, glutinous rice flour, and organic sugar. Mix well. Pour the coconut milk and vanilla extract and stir to combine. Turn on the heat to low heat and keep stirring (about 10-15 minutes) until the mixture turns into a thick paste. The result should be smooth with no lumps. If there are still lumps, it's not ready yet. Turn off the heat and let it cool. Prepping the chocolate layer Repeat the process of combining all of the ingredients in a separate small pot then heat and stir well until the mixture turns thick and smooth. Turn off the heat and let it cool down completely. Rolling Cut out banana leaves to desired sizes, as long as you make space for at least four inches top and bottom of the suman cake and at least an inch on the left and right sides of the suman cake. Lightly oil the leaves using your hands or a pastry brush. Roll the vanilla layer and chocolate layer separately. Designate a separate banana leaf for rolling the vanilla layer and another for rolling the chocolate layer. Take a tablespoon or two of the vanilla layer (or whichever layer you want to roll first), then place on the center of the banana leaf. Instead of rolling using your hands (which could get sticky and messy), roll the cake with the oiled leaf by rolling back and forth to form a cylinder. Repeat steps of rolling until all of the cake mixture are done. Repeat steps of rolling for the other layer. Wrapping Place both the vanilla and chocolate cakes side by side horizontally and twist them together to form a bigger cylinder. Position them on the bottom part of the oiled banana leaf and roll over to wrap tightly. Secure the ends by tying a string Repeat steps until all of the rolled cakes have been wrapped. Steaming Using a steamer (or an improvised one using a colander and a pot), fill with just enough water, making sure the water is not going to get inside your steamer basket or colander. Bring the water to a boil then bring down to a simmer. Place your wrapped suman cakes in the steamer and cover with a lid. Steam for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and serve. Notes Glutinous rice flour is different from ordinary rice flour because it has a chewy texture. Think mochi. Despite the name, glutinous rice flour does not have gluten. You may buy both kinds of flour at any Asian grocery stores. If you cannot find them anywhere, you could make them from scratch by using a food processor or high-speed blender and ground up regular rice to make rice flour and ground up sticky rice to make glutinous rice flour. You may buy banana leaves at the frozen section of Asian grocery stores and at the produce section of Hispanic grocery stores. You may need to thaw the banana leaves if you bought them frozen. You may also wilt them slightly in the stove to release its aroma and to make the leaves more pliable for wrapping. 6.1.4 http://www.astigvegan.com/suman-moron-for-valentines-day/

As you could tell, the ingredients are very simple. The process -stirring, rolling, wrapping, and steaming, could seem overwhelming but it’s really not that complicated. Basically, after forming the ingredients into a smooth paste, you roll, wrap and steam. The result is worth it.

Suman Moron could be served with a variety of toppings or as is. It’s great with a hot drink like coffee or tea. You can store it in the fridge for up to a week but I suggest to warm it again before serving for best results.

I hope you enjoy making and eating Suman Moron whether you’re celebrating Valentines Day or not. Kain na, let’s eat!

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