Kaya (Malaysian Coconut Egg Jam)
Published Jul 22, 2013
Updated Sep 12, 2024
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Kaya (Malaysian Coconut Egg Jam) - Kaya is a delicious Malaysian jam made with coconut, eggs and caramel. Rich and aromatic jam which is perfect for toast and a cup of coffee.
What Is Kaya
Kaya is one of my favorite Malay words.
The reason is simple: it carries two of my favorite meanings in Malaysian language.
First being rich; secondly, it means an utterly delicious coconut egg jam which is wildly popular in Malaysia and neighboring country Singapore.
In this post, I am going to teach you how to make kaya, a jam that gets me all excited waking up in the morning…the silky smooth jam that goes on warm, crispy buttery toasts, and served with a cup of aromatic Malaysian dark coffee.
Ahh…
Kaya, also known as srikaya, seri kaya, is a confiture made of eggs, coconut milk, sugar and infused with the fragrant aroma of pandan leaf.
The mere mention of kaya conjures up a lot of my childhood memories.
I grew up mostly with my late grandmother—a much celebrated Nyonya cook and kuih (local sweet cake) maker.
The majority of my childhood days were spent in the kitchen, watching my late grandmother and my aunt preparing her many orders.
One of the things that we would always make is kaya, the coconut egg jam that would go on the beautiful blue-color Nyonya kuih called pulut tai tai.
My aunt would always be the designated helper making the kaya.
She would beat the eggs, coconut milk, and sugar mixture with a traditional springy egg beater, and then the mixture would go into an antique yellow color enamel double-boiler sitting over a charcoal burner.
Whenever she made kaya, she would religiously sit in front of the charcoal fire, stirring the kaya diligently for hours, yes, laborious hours!
The kaya that came out from our home kitchen was always silky, smooth, with the richest and freshest taste, complete with a golden brown hue and color unrivaled by any kaya I have ever encountered.
It was pure perfection.
A perfect ten confiture.
Once in a while, my aunt would ask me to help, and I would eagerly take her seat and help with the chore.
Mundane was an understatement, but I often derived a sense of satisfaction watching the egg mixture slowly transformed into a silky and thicker consistency, and then the pale yellowish color transformed to a golden amber color with the addition of caramel.
It was magical…and the taste of the end product was absolutely delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There are many variations of kaya, some are yellowish in color, while others are greenish, or brownish.
The texture varies, too; some are runny, while others are thicker.
My favorite is always the ones which is thick and rich in texture (I don’t like runny and thin kaya), golden brown in color, a color derived from the addition of caramel towards the end of the making process.
While the traditional way of double-boiling is probably the best way to make kaya, nowadays, you can actually make this prized jam in less than an hour.
When I called my aunt for the recipe, she even told me to “cook” the kaya, and skip the hours of stirring.
My kaya recipe below is quick and easy and takes about 30 minutes.
With the help of modern kitchen appliances, the texture is smooth as silk, and the taste is as close as the ones that my aunt used to make.
If my late grandmother were to taste this kaya jam, I am sure she would be so proud of me. It’s sweet, creamy, aromatic, and without any lumps, it’s simply decadent.
Try my kaya recipe and in the next post, I will teach you how to turn your plain old toast into kaya toast that you will soon be hooked on.
Ingredients
- Coconut Milk
- Cornstarch
- Eggs
- Pandan Leaves
- Sugar
- Water
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Crack the eggs into a big bowl or container, follow by the coconut cream, coconut milk, and sugar. Whisk well, or using an electronic hand mixer, whisk the mixture well. Filter the mixture with a strainer.
Step 2: Transfer the egg mixture into a sauce pan (non-stick preferred). Add the pandan leaves into the egg mixture and turn on the heat to medium low. Using a wood spatula or a pair of wooden chopsticks, keep stirring the mixture until they are cooked, about 20 minutes. To thicken the kaya, add the corn starch mixture, stir to combine well with the kaya. Please take note that lumps will form in the jam.
Step 3: In the meantime, heat up the sugar for the Caramel in a sauce pan until the sugar melts into caramel. When the color becomes golden brown, add the caramel into the kaya, stir to combine well. The color of the kaya should be golden brown. Turn off the heat.
Step 4: Let the kaya jam cool down, discard the pandan leaves and transfer the kaya to a blender. Blend until it reaches a silky smooth consistency and without lumps. Transfer the kaya to a jam bottle. You can keep it in the fridge for about a week.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 199 calories per serving.
Other Recipes You Might Like
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Kaya (Malaysian Coconut Egg Jam)
Ingredients
- 4-5 eggs
- 200 g (7 oz) sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut cream
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- 3 pandan leaves, tie into a knot
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 tbsp water
Caramel:
- 50 – 75 g (1¾ – 2¾ oz) sugar
Instructions
- Crack the eggs into a big bowl or container, follow by the coconut cream, coconut milk, and sugar. Whisk well, or using an electronic hand mixer, whisk the mixture well. Filter the mixture with a strainer.
- Transfer the egg mixture into a sauce pan (non-stick preferred). Add the pandan leaves into the egg mixture and turn on the heat to medium low. Using a wood spatula or a pair of wooden chopsticks, keep stirring the mixture until they are cooked, about 20 minutes. To thicken the kaya, add the corn starch mixture, stir to combine well with the kaya. Please take note that lumps will form in the jam.
- In the meantime, heat up the sugar for the Caramel in a sauce pan until the sugar melts into caramel. When the color becomes golden brown, add the caramel into the kaya, stir to combine well. The color of the kaya should be golden brown. Turn off the heat.
- Let the kaya jam cool down, discard the pandan leaves and transfer the kaya to a blender. Blend until it reaches a silky smooth consistency and without lumps. Transfer the kaya to a jam bottle. You can keep it in the fridge for about a week.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Unfortunately, I rarely see pandan leaves been sold in any of the two Vietnamese oriental grocery stores here in the mid-west of US. However, couple weeks ago when I was so craving for the taste and smell of Kaya that I made some with a teaspoon of vanilla instead of the panda leaves. it turned out pretty good! :0)
1/2 cup coconut cream n 3//4 cup coconut milk, how much does it equal to in ml or gm. If thick coconut milk is available (i.e. Coconut cream) how much is required if diluted coconut milk is omitted?
Hi ,
I’m interested in trying out the kaya recipe you had shared here, but I have just one question.
That will how long can the kaya last before going expiry ?
THank you … look forward to your reply.
Melissa !!
You can keep for a 1 week in the fridge with no problem.
Hi ,
I’m interested in trying out the kaya recipe you had shared here, but I have just one question.
That will how long can the kaya last before going expiry ?
THank you so much
What is coconut cream?
Thick coconut milk.
Thank you for the recipe! I’ll try it today with pandan and gula melaka/white sugar (mixed). :) I just finished the last of the kaya I brought home from Malaysia and I can’t imagine breakfast without it!
Thanks for the recipe. I ate this when I was a child and always wanted to know what it was made of and how to make it. Now that I’m grown and there’s the internet, nothing is impossible to learn. I love coconut and pandan flavor, so this food is the best. I see the pandan leave are available frozen, but do stores ever sell it fresh? I live in Southern California, Orange County. Is the frozen leaves flavorful? Also,I wonder if I can make a more healthier version by not putting in that much sugar or maybe substitute it with something else.
Hi there, for the caramel part, do i need to add water? or just cook the sugar? and I dont have blender with me, so can i omit the part? thanks :)
Just cook the sugar. You don’t have to blend but it will not be smooth.
Also, can you use a hand blender to cream the jam into a smooth consistency?
Hi Bee! I love coconut, and I’m anxious to try your Coconut Egg Jam! :D I have a couple of questions…Can this be canned to preserve it? We’d love to enter this in our county fair and canned items have to be properly canned. Also if I’m unable to find Pandan leaves here, can it be left out or will it greatly affect the taste? Thank you so much for this recipe and any help you can offer.
Not sure about canned to preserve it. Not an expert. It’s OK without pandan leaves but not as aromatic.