Homemade Kaya: I Did It the 10-Minute Way!

While I was growing up in Ipoh, I remember sometimes waking up to the smell of kaya cooking away.  When my grandma visited us, she would sometimes whip up her homemade kaya using the charcoal stove, and since my room was just next to the space where the charcoal stove was, I got first hand smells!

Kaya is the well-loved name given to a sweet coconut egg jam.  In Malay, the word “kaya” means “rich”, and aptly so, because this coconut egg jam is a rich, creamy and thick favorite to be eaten with bread, pastries and traditional cakes/”kuih”.

I’ve tinkered with the idea of making my own kaya but I learnt that most recipes require continuous stirring at the stove for about 2 hours!  I don’t have that sort of time!

So when I stumbled on this fabulous 10-minute kaya recipe, I knew I just had to try it!  Plus, this blogger shared part of her name with me too…so that must be a sign!

The 10-minute kaya recipe called for ONLY egg yolks and replacing some of the white sugar with palm sugar (gula melaka).  You could also use molasses, I’d reckon.

If you’re skeptical as to whether this recipe works, trust me it does!  I was very pleased with the results, because not only did it churn out some kickass kaya, it was also kaya that my 19-month old baby could eat because it did not contain egg whites!

So if you’re like me who loves kaya, but don’t have the time (and patience) to stir the pot of kaya over the stove, then this is for you.  Pssst…this also saves gas, since we only use 10 minutes of gas! Now….let’s see when I can find some time to make those kaya puffs! 🙂

I prefer kaya that is not-too-smooth and with a slightly “curdled” consistency.  I find the “curdled” consistency more authentic and less “processed”.  I also prefer the caramelized type of kaya as opposed to the greener “more pandan” variety.

10-Minute Kaya (Coconut Egg Jam) (from Kitchen Tigress)
(Yields: 1 cup kaya)

Ingredients:

• 45 g sugar
• 45 g palm sugar
• 200 ml undiluted fresh coconut milk
• 4 young, light green pandan leaves (screwpine leaves), wash and cut 5 cm long
• 4 egg yolks

Directions:

1. Cook sugar, palm sugar, coconut milk and pandan leaves over medium heat, stirring constantly, till just starting to simmer gently. Turn off heat.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whip the egg yolks.
3. Then, pour half of the coconut milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture while stirring the mixture at the same time.
4. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the remaining coconut milk mixture at one go.
5. Over medium heat, cook the combined mixture till slightly thickened.  Stir constantly.
6. Reduce heat to low. Continue stirring till mixture is thick enough to coat sides of pot thickly.
   
7. Taste and add more sugar if necessary.
8. Discard pandan leaves.  Transfer to a bowl or bottle. Leave till completely cool.  (I boiled an unused jam jar to sterilize it, then I cooled it down and poured the kaya into it)
9. Cover and refrigerate. May be stored up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before serving if you want a softer, squidgy consistency.