Kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs doused in soy sauce and white pepper will always be a top-tier breakfast for any Malaysian.
Traditional recipes for this Malaysian coconut jam can take hours of stirring to achieve the correct taste and texture – a luscious creamy coconut custard with caramel notes. The traditional method also involves a double-boiler and, if going down the Peranakan Nyonya route, the making of pandan essence from fresh pandan leaves.
I prefer to make the Hainanese version when making kaya at home. This is traditionally sweetened using caramelised white sugar. To save time and faff, I use coconut palm sugar if I have it, or either dark brown or muscovado sugar if I don’t. This recipe simply uses a non-stick saucepan rather than a double-boiler and comes together in under half an hour!
Infusing my kaya with fresh pandan leaves just depends on whether I happen to have any hanging around in my freezer.
For optimum enjoyment, first butter your hot toast with salted butter before generously slathering with kaya.
PS The only commercially available kaya I buy is Madam Chang’s Kaya, especially the pandan flavour.
Makes about 225g
egg yolks 4
UHT coconut cream 250ml
coconut palm, dark brown or muscovado sugar 80g
salt ⅛ tsp
fresh pandan leaves 3, washed, dried and tied into a large knot (optional)
Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl with a fork, then strain through a small sieve into a measuring jug.
Heat up the coconut cream, sugar, salt and pandan leaves (if using) over a medium to low heat on the smallest hob, stirring regularly with a spatula or wooden spoon.
As soon as you start to see steam coming from the coconut cream mixture, turn off the heat. Slowly add a soup ladle of the coconut cream mixture to the measuring jug of beaten egg yolks while stirring constantly – a bit like how you would make mayonnaise. Then slowly pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan, little by little, while stirring.
Now turn the heat back on to the lowest flame and continue to cook the coconut cream mixture, stirring regularly, for 15 minutes.
At about the 10-minute mark you will notice the mixture start to thicken. You will need to stir constantly from now on as the custard starts to form.
Turn off the heat after 15 minutes. The mixture should now be a thick custard and will set even more once cool.
Remove the pandan leaves if you’ve used them, taking care to squeeze out all the kaya from them.
Decant into a clean jar and leave to cool. It will last for two weeks in the fridge.
Mandy Yin is chef-owner of Sambal Shiok Laksa Bar, London N7