Srikaya Pandan (Kaya Jam)

Srikaya spread or Kaya is Southeast Asia’s answer to jam, peanut butter, and nutella. All in one. It’s a delicious creamy mixture of coconut milk, palm sugar and pandan flavouring. To make it traditionally, it takes a lot of time - you cook down the coconut slowly and toast the sugar as you go. But WhatToCookToday has posted a wonderfully simple, quick recipe for kaya that is authentic and delicious and takes just a fraction of the time. I have amended it here slightly to account for the fact that I can’t find coconut cream here in India (at least not for a good price), and I have opted for whole eggs rather than only egg yolks, just because I hate the fussiness of using only egg yolks, and then having to do something separate with the whites afterwards. Plus, I think it tastes just as good with the full eggs, as long as you don’t let the flame get too high, as that would scramble the eggs. Anyway, if you are looking for something different to put on your toast, or to serve with cake, this spread is one of my favourites.

Kaya spread makes me nostalgic for Indonesia, where we would have kaya toast at little outdoor late-night cafes, and where my local bakery made the best homemade kaya jam, which I bought religiously until I found this recipe. It also makes me nostalgic for my old apartment there, because I took the photos for this post before I left Indonesia, although I finalized the recipe over here.

Finally, it makes me nostalgic for Singapore, because whenever I used to go there, I would almost always go get kaya toast and soft boiled eggs for breakfast, with a strong cup of coffee, usually at Ya Kun Kaya Toast or Toast Box. I'm not including a full-out recipe for Singaporean kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs here, but I have included a quick, basic explanation of how to prepare it at the bottom of the post, in case anyone is so inclined. It is an almost-perfect breakfast if you like creamy eggs and sweet, buttery toast.

Quick Srikaya Pandan (Kaya Jam)

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 200 ml coconut milk
• 1 drop or 1/8 tsp pandan extract
• 80 gr white sugar
• 20 gr palm sugar, brown sugar or jaggery 
• 3 tbsp tapioca flour OR 3 tsp corn starch dissolved in some water

Directions:

1. Crack the eggs into a medium sized bowl, and using two fingers, gently remove and discard that weird white bit that connects the yolk to the egg white (the chalazae); also, remove and discard the skin of the egg yolk, so you have a completely smooth consistency
2. In a heavy-bottomed pan, whisk together the coconut milk, pandan extract, and sugars. Sift in the tapioca flour and stir it smooth. 
3. Bring the coconut milk mixture to a simmer over medium heat, and cook just until the sugar is dissolved
4. Remove the mixture from the heat
5. Begin whisking the eggs, and while whisking, slowly pour 1/4 cup of the coconut cream into the eggs. Do this very slowly, while whisking constantly, so that the eggs don't get too hot and scramble
6. Gradually add the rest of the coconut cream mixture, while still whisking the egg mixture
7. Once all the coconut mixture has been combined into the eggs, pour the whole mixture into the heavy bottomed pan, and heat over a double boiler, while constantly whisking. After about 8-19 minutes, the mixture should be ready. It will still appear a little runny, as it will get thicker when it sets, but if you think it is really still too thin, you can sift in a little more tapioca flour and let it cook 1 or 2 more minutes to thicken it further
8. Turn off the heat, and let the kaya cool down, covered, so that a skin doesn't form on the top
9. Once the kaya spread is cool, transfer it into a glass jar and place it in the fridge. It will keep in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.
10. Eat on buttered toast, or a soft toasted bun, or spread it between layers of a cake.

For Singaporean Kaya Toast with soft boiled eggs: As I said, If you want to feel particularly Singaporean, eat your kaya on buttered toast with soft boiled eggs.

1. Make two pieces of toast, and cut off the crusts. 
2. Put some big chunks of cold butter onto one piece, cover that in a thick layer of kaya jam, and top it all with the other piece of warm, crustless toast. 
3. This is delicious eaten by itself, or with "soft boiled eggs" - eggs that are just slightly cooked, the consistency of a very thick béchamel sauce, or a thick custard, and don't hold their shape at all. 
4. Crack the soft boiled eggs into a bowl. Season with a splash of dark soya sauce, and eat them with this kaya toast, and a steaming cup of coffee. My favourite Singaporean coffee was the strong coffee with both evaporated milk and condensed milk mixed in: strong, sweet and creamy.  This breakfast is absolutely delicious and a little addictive. 

Enjoy!