Name: Coconut-Pandan Jam (Kaya Jam)
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes, plus cooling time
Yield: Makes about 1 3/4 cups
Ingredients: 1 (13.5-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk; 1/4 cup sugar; 8 pandan leaves, 17–20" long; 8 large egg yolks

Active Time
20 minutes
Total Time
50 minutes, plus cooling time

This creamy custard is popular in Southeast Asia, especially Malaysia and Singapore, where it's slathered onto toasted fluffy white bread and served with poached eggs as a morning snack. Often called the vanilla of Southeast Asia, the long, narrow, vibrant green pandan leaves give the jam its signature aromatic flavor.

Ingredients

Makes about 1 3/4 cups

1 (13.5-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk

1/4 cup sugar

8 pandan leaves, 17–20" long

8 large egg yolks

Preparation

Step 1
Heat coconut milk and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium. Tie pandan leaves together in a knot and add to pot. Bring to a simmer, cover, and let steep 30 minutes. Uncover pot and return to a simmer.
Step 2
Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Whisk egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl until fluffy. Slowly whisk in half of coconut milk mixture until smooth. Whisk in remaining coconut milk mixture. Set bowl on pot of water (bottom of bowl should not touch water). Reduce heat and bring water to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of spoon and an instant-read thermometer registers 180°F, 4–5 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a resealable container or jar; discard solids. Press plastic wrap onto surface and chill until set, at least 4 hours.
Do Ahead
Step 3
Kaya can be made up to 1 week ahead; keep chilled.

Cooks' Note

Pandan is available at Asian grocery stores and online.

Leave a Review

Reviews (4)

This recipe does not include the most important of the traditional ingredients for making authentic Malaysian kaya, such as gula Melaka (palm sugar from Melaka, Malaysia). Kaya, when done right, should be a rich caramel colour, not the white coloured paste in the photo accompanying this recipe.
- carol.law7462
- Toronto, ON
- 8/5/2017
It's a travesty to call that kaya. Where is the coconut?
- t2health
- Southeast Asia
- 3/9/2017
No, I have not yet made this recipe; I just wanted people to know that this kaya toast is absolutely delicious. We had it several times in Singapore last December. We had it with the sweetened coffee called "kopi," but I doubt that it was the super-expensive type mentioned in the article. It was probably regular coffee with sweetened condensed milk in it.
- catal
- Kettering, OH
- 3/8/2017
Have not tried this recipe and definitely would not try it. This looks nothing like the real thing found in Malaysia.
- Anonymous
- nz
- 3/8/2017