If you’re craving a traditional sweet rice cake to pair with your coffee or hot chocolate in the morning, then Suman Moron is perfect for you! This is not just the rice cakes you see on Pinoy TV, but this delicious Filipino recipe is much more and the only recipe you’ll need.

What is Suman Moron?

Suman Moron (moo-ron) or often called chocolate moron is one of the well-known Filipino native delicacies. This Filipino dessert is almost similar to that of Suman. It is a type of suman made with glutinous rice flour wrapped with banana leaves, pre-cooked, and steamed for the mixture to stick together to form the banana leaf’s aroma and stick to the dough. While Suman‘s ingredient is mainly made of sticky rice, Moron is made primarily of glutinous rice flour and rice flour. It has two layers, which are the Chocolate Late (Muron’s darker spot) and the Milk Flavor layer (Muron’s white spot). These layers are intertwined together blending each other’s taste.

Suman Moron is rampant in the Visayas region. I remember having this for the first time when I was 9 years old and love it so much. I kept coming back and exhausted my .30 cents allowance.

I love the mixture of the sweet and gentle bitter taste of the cocoa. In the Philippines though, we use Tablea or the real cacao for the chocolate essence. This ingredient is important as there is a bit of difference in the bitterness level when just using cocoa powder from the store. This is just one of those delicious Filipino recipes that use steamer and flour which yields a great tasting dessert.

How Do I Use this Suman Moron Recipe?

When I cook my Suman Moron, I use coconut milk, glutinous rice flour, and ordinary rice flour as the main ingredients and have two flavors intertwined – chocolate and vanilla flavor. For the liquid, I use coconut milk and evaporated milk.

I have used this Filipino recipe several times. I have also tested others, but I found this Suman Moron recipe reliable. I love that the taste is not too sweet. I also like the suman moron chocolate mixture, because it’s not too sweet nor too bitter.

I use evaporated milk for the vanilla flavor because it makes it more creamy. Both ordinary rice flour and glutinous rice are to build the structure of the Suman. You can either use brown sugar or granulated sugar, but I prefer brown sugar for the chocolate flavor as it enhances the dark color.

The prep time is just 15 minutes, but the cooking time takes about 50-60 minutes. I have also written below how to wrap Suman moron in banana leaves. It’s not that hard but it will help you not get confused with the wrapping process of this chocolate moron.

Should I use Glutinous rice flour?

Yes, if you want to achieve a soft chewy texture. You can also use all-purpose flour or cake flour but remember that the color will be way lighter in shade. I prefer glutinous rice flour because it’s naturally brown in color.

What else can I use for the chocolate mixture?

If you don’t have the Tablea, you can always use dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate. In this case, I’ll prefer milk chocolate because it enhances the milk taste, but you may use dark chocolate too if that’s your preference. You can also use sweetened condensed milk. It will be more creamy but this is optional.

Just remember, the mixture should be combined into dough then cooled for several minutes before steaming the Suman Moron. If heated too much, the chocolate mixture might curdle resulting in the uneven texture of the Suman; crispy outside and gooey on the inside.

How do I achieve moist and soft Suman Moron without coconut milk?

The coconut milk will make the Moron softer and tastier as well as moist. If you don’t have coconut milk, you may use evaporated milk, whole cream, or half and half.

To ensure that your delicious rice cake will be soft, make sure to prick the Moron while it’s still hot after steaming. Just remember not to prick too much or you will lose all the juices inside making the chocolate moron dry.

Moron Versions

There are several versions of Suman Moron. You can make Chocolate Moron or just the Vanilla Moron. I, however, prefer this two flavored version because you will get a balanced taste of bittersweet taste. The chocolate moron part is not too overwhelming, but it’s noticeable.

Of course, you can always do try mix-matching flavors. The chocolate moron can be paired with strawberry, apple-cinnamon, chocolate-almond, and so on. You can also try adding roasted peanuts, cheese, mango, or even coffee for a distinct mocha flavor. For the stuffing, you can you may use grated coconut or cooked sweetened mung beans, crushed peanuts, or even carabao cheese. Just remember that it should be already cooked and soft before you fill the banana leaf-wrapped dough with it.

How to Wrap Suman Moron?

You can use banana leaf or any large leaf of your choice. Dip it in water for 5 minutes, then wipe quickly removing excess moisture. This method can prevent the dough from sticking to the wrapper. Fold the leaf in half then cut horizontally about 6 inches long.

If you are using a banana leaf, fold it vertically to form a pocket with loose ends at the side. Use the chocolate dough to fill the pocket then bring it together and finally twist at both ends with strings to tighten.

Can I Prevent Suman from Sticking on the Wrapper?

This is very important, not only to make pretty rice cakes but also to prevent the plain mixture from sticking on the wrapper to make it easy to separate the layered dough before steaming.

This is the same process when cooking a regular suman. Moisten wrapper. You may use the index finger and middle finger of your right hand with moistened water. Wrap Suman with the banana leaf, forming it into any shape you want. Place wrapped Suman between two sheets of parchment paper or aluminum foil making sure the smooth side is facing down.

Steam for 15 minutes or until firm and it can be easily pulled apart from the wrapper. You can use a double boiler container to steam the Suman or just place the wrapped Suman Moron into a large pot with water. The size of the pot should be wider than your steaming bowl.

Ingredients

Chocolate layer:

1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Flavor
1 1/2 cup coconut milk

Chopped roasted peanuts can be added to the chocolate layer for garnishing.

Vanilla Layer:

1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup Evaporated milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (Plain Milk Mixture)

Equipment:

Steamer
banana leaf
non-stick pan
bowl mix

Instructions

Chocolate layer:

Put all of the first 4 ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
And add in the coconut milk and vanilla extract.
Mixed all of the ingredients and cook in medium heat until pasty. ( watch video )
Let cool and roll into a small, long-sized tube. And intertwine with the vanilla layer and wrap in banana leaves

Vanilla Layer:

Put all of the first 3 ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
And add in the evaporated milk and vanilla.
Mixed all of the ingredients and cook in medium heat until pasty. ( watch video )
Let cool and roll into a small, long-sized tube. And intertwine with the Chocolate layer and wrap in banana leaves
When both layers are intertwined, wrap them with banana leaves. Line in a steamer or double boiler container and steam for more than half an hour or up to 45 minutes.

I can say that Suman Moron’s latest recipes are a keeper since the texture is smooth and chewy, unsweetened yet flavorful without being too oily or greasy. The sweetness from coconut milk complements well with the chocolate mixture and the milk mixture.

Check out the Skinny Pot for more recipes. If you like this recipe or if you have an additional mixture that you would like to share, don’t forget to leave a comment. God bless!

For More Rice Recipe:

Suman Recipe

6 Filipino Rice Recipe

Arroz Valenciana

Paella