I woke up earlier than usual because I needed to make suman sa gata (rice cake cooked in coconut milk). I asked my mom and pop to teach me how to cook the native delicacy.

Ingredients:
2 kilogram glutenous rice (malagkit na bigas)
6 pieces medium coconut
salt to taste
water

Procedure:
1) Grate coconut in electric or manual grater.

2) Measure the volume of glutenous rice. The ratio of coconut milk to glutenous rice should be 5 is to 4, 5 cups coconut milk and 4 cups glutenous rice. Heat  5 measures of water up to 40°C.  Mix grated coconut and warm water, mix it thoroughly and squeeze using clean cheesecloth. The amount of coconut milk should suffice the required ratio. Repeat extraction of grated coconut with less amount of warm water to fill the requirement.

3) Bring coconut milk to rapid boil, add salt to taste. Add the washed glutenous rice. Stir continuously until the mixture become very sticky. Cover the rice cake, bring the heat to lowest setting and let stand for 15 to 30 minutes. Cool.

4) Wrap suman in heated banana leaves.

5) Tie suman in 2′s, folded leaves should be facing each other.

6) Arrange rice cakes in cooking vessel half-filled with water. Boil for 30 minutes.  Drain water. Transfer to a different container and cool.