Quick kaya
Kaya is a delicious, caramel-y coconut jam (albeit more like a custard than a jam) commonly found in Singapore and Malaysia1.
The standard way to serve kaya is as part of a kaya toast set; spread between thin pieces of Hainanese toast (sans crust), with two thick slabs of cold butter. Typically it is served with two (very!) soft boiled eggs2, served in a small bowl with dark soy sauce and white pepper3.
This recipe is based on the quick coconut jam recipe by Jun, itself based on a What To Cook Today recipe, which aims to reduce the water content in the initial ingredients to reduce the length of time needed to thicken the kaya. The changes involve coconut cream (instead of milk), ‘pre’-caramelized sugar in the form of brown sugar, and egg yolks rather than whole eggs.
INGREDIENTS
- 240g coconut cream
- 50g granulated sugar
- 50g dark brown or palm sugar
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 pandan leaves (knotted) or 1/2 tsp pandan essence
- 2g salt
STEPS
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Place the coconut cream, granulated sugar, palm sugar, salt, and egg yolks in a small saucepan and stir together until smooth. Knot the pandan leaves and add it to the saucepan.
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Heat the saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring continuously. The kaya will thicken as it cooks, and you want it to get to the consistency of a thick jam or custard. As it cooks, be careful not to let the kaya boil, turning the heat down to low if bubbles are forming.
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When done, let the kaya cool to room temperature before transferring to store in a jar. The kaya can last for up to 3 weeks in the fridge.
NOTES
There are actually two common variants of kaya — nyonya kaya, which is light green in colour and pandan flavoured, and Hainanese kaya, which is mixed with caramel and dark brown. ↩︎To make the soft boiled eggs, bring a saucepan of water to the boil, remove from the heat, and add two eggs. Cover the pan with a lid, and leave for 6-7 minutes. ↩︎Whenever I am in Singapore, Ya Kun is my go-to place for kaya toast. ↩︎
