Kaya (Coconut Custard Spread / Coconut Jam)

Kaya is Malaysia's favorite spread, usually serves at breakfast with toast, or as filling for pastry, bun, or even made as part of popular kuih (Nyonya desserts) including pulut taitai or pulut tekan, a dessert of sweet glutinous rice coloured blue with butterfly pea flowers (bunga telang), and pulut seri muka, a similar dessert but coloured green with pandan leaves (screwpine leaves).

Photo credits www.fotolia.com

Kaya means 'rich' in Malay language because of its golden colour. What makes kaya so wonderfully delicious is the richness of coconut cream combining with the distinctive taste of the caramelised sugar. It's also common to enhance the flavour further by adding pandan (screwpine) leaves or honey.

Picture credits to thestar.com.my

A typical Malaysian Kopitiam (a traditional Malaysian coffee shop) breakfast consists of Kopi-O (black strong coffee), soft boiled eggs and roti baker (thick soft white bread toasted on charcoal burner) with thick layer of butter and kaya spread.

Cooking kaya is like making custard the Malaysian way with 3 basic ingredients: coconut cream, egg and sugar. It's then steamed or boiled in low heat. It sounds easy but all the risk factors associated with failed custard are there. It may 'burnt' and it may 'turn' (overcook and curdle).

There are many ways of making kaya. Google it and you will find many different recipes. What I have here may not be the best but it provides a simple, no fuss way of making kaya.

Kaya (Coconut Custard Spread / Coconut Jam) Recipe

Ingredient

4 eggs, beaten and sieved
250 g sugar
50 ml pandan / screwpine water (blend 5 pandan/screwpine leaves with 50 ml water in a blender and sieve the mixture)
250ml coconut cream (or thick coconut milk), sieved

Method:

1. Put sugar and pandan water in a heavy-based pan and boil until sugar dissolved and caramelised.
2. Remove from heat and pour in coconut cream / milk and eggs.
3. Cook and stir constantly in low heat for 25-30 minutes until the mixture is smooth and thicken.
4. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
5. Serve with toast.

Note: If you'd like to can your jam: Simply place three clean jam jars and lids on the middle rack of your oven. Turn oven to 225F (110C). Leave the jars there until your kaya is ready (the heat will sterilize the jars).