Kaya (Coconut Egg Jam)

Kaya (Coconut Egg Jam) is almost a staple condiment in Malaysian breakfast or cakes/snacks. Kaya to Malaysians is like jam to the westerners. We spread Kaya on toasts, waffles and local cakes. You could also find Roti Canai /Roti Pratha with Kaya filling. It’s simply delicious!

Kaya/Coconut Egg Jam is made from 3 key ingredients; coconut milk, sugar and eggs! Pandan leaves are used most of the time to enhance the flavors. It is tedious to cook this jam, but it’s surely worth the work and the anticipation! Plus, you get a little work out using those arms to stir the jam till it’s cooked and thicken to the right consistency! The cooking of Kaya is like cooking custard since you’re actually slow cooking eggs until they are cooked and have thicken.

There are many versions and recipes to make Kaya. Some uses more eggs, some more sugar, some different sugar and some different cooking method. Some Kaya has a thicker or thinner consistency, some smoother or coarser consistency, some darker or lighter in color, and some colored naturally or artificially.The result of the Kaya is most likely the same = DELICIOUS!!

Here’s how I made mine…..

KAYA (COCONUT EGG JAM RECIPE)

Ingredients:

• 6 Large Eggs
• 1 Lb Granulated Sugar
• 1 Can Coconut Milk (about 13.5 Fl Oz)
• 4-5 Pandan Leaves, Knotted
• 1-2 Drop Pandan Paste (*Optional)

Method:

Whisk (hand whisk) eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl until sugar has dissolved. Once sugar has dissolved, add coconut milk. Then, pour coconut milk and egg mixture through a sieve into a mixing bowl. I use a Pyrex glass mixing bowl. Make sure the bowl will sit nicely on top of a pot which would be used to boil water and cook the mixture.

Bring a pot of water to boil and reduce to about medium heat. Place the mixing bowl with the coconut egg mixture on top and place knotted pandan leaves into the mixture. Slowly cook mixture and stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Mixture will start to thicken after 30-40 minutes. If you like to add pandan paste to the kaya, you can do so at this point. Continue stirring and cooking mixture for another hour until it reaches a thicker consistency.

Remove the bowl from the pot and let cool. The kaya will thicken a little more as it continues to cool down. Store kaya in a clean container and refrigerate it. This recipe will give you about 2.5-3 cups of yummy in your tummy home made kaya.

Serve Kaya with toasts, waffles, pancakes and also Pulut Tekan (recipe to follow); a Malaysian kuih.

June’s Comments: If you have a double boiler…USE IT! That’s the perfect pot to cook Kaya. I did not have a double boiler hence I resorted to a make shift double boiler; pot and (a glass) bowl. You could also cook the Kaya directly in a pot on a stove. However, you will need very low heat to cook the Kaya and stir ever so constantly or risk having a lumpy or burnt Kaya. That’s why, I highly recommend you cooking the Kaya over a pot of boiling water!

I did not stand in front of my stove the whole time to stir the kaya. I did walk away for 5 minutes or so, returning to stir it for another few minutes, etc. The Kaya still turned out well! Don’t multitask until you forget to stir the kaya though!!