4

The explainer

GOURMET TRAVELLER 49

WHAT IS IT?

Kaya is very sweet coconut custard made with coconut

milk and sugar, thickened with egg and often flavoured

with pandan leaf. It’s popular throughout South-East

Asia, particularly in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore

and parts of Indonesia. There are two main types:

Hainanese kaya made with caramelised or brown sugar,

which has a rich caramel colour, and Nyonya kaya,

tinted green by the pandan that flavours it. In addition,

the recipe varies from house to house – some use duck

eggs, others chicken; some are thick and spreadable

while others have a thinner consistency. Considering the

ingredients, it’s no surprise that the word translates to

“rich” in Malay. The best versions are beautifully smooth

and so thick you can stand a spoon up in them.

WHY DO WE CARE?

If you’ve ever had kaya toast – charcoal-grilled bread

topped with a generous whack of salted butter and

spread thickly with kaya (often served with a strong

coffee and soft eggs seasoned with dark soy and pepper)

• you’ll know this spread is addictive. If you haven’t, all
  you need to know is that kaya makes pancakes, crêpes
  and waffles (or anything you’d drizzle with honey or
  maple syrup) better than you could ever imagine.

WHERE CAN I GET IT?

You can buy commercially produced kaya from select

Asian grocery stores, but if you can’t find it, try our

home-made version here. It takes a lot of stirring,

but trust us, one taste and it will be worth it.

Kaya

Kaya

MAKES ABOUT 500ML

Stir3 eggs,2 egg yolksand150gm caster sugar

in a heatproof bowl with a whisk until smooth

and runny, then whisk over a saucepan of

simmering water until sugar completely dissolves

(4-5 minutes). Whisk in300ml coconut creamto

combine, then add3 pandan leaves, knotted

together. Stir continuously until mixture is the

consistency of lemon curd (25-30 minutes), then

remove from heat (discard the pandan). Cook

another50gm caster sugarin a small saucepan

over high heat until caramelised (2-3 minutes),

remove from heat, carefully whisk in1 tbsp butter

anda pinch of salt, then whisk into coconut

mixture. Place the bowl back over simmering

water and stir continuously until slightly thickened

(4-5 minutes), remove from heat and whisk

occasionally until cooled to room temperature.

Pour into sterilised jars, refrigerate to chill

completely and seal. Kaya will keep for 3 weeks.●

A staple in Singaporean

and Malaysian cofee

shops, this coconut

spread lends an extra

dimension to sweet

breakfasts and desserts.

WORDS, RECIPE AND STYLING EMMA KNOWLES. PHOTOGRAPHY BEN DEARNLEY. ALL PROPS STYLIST’S OWN