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.
Just made your recipe and it’s delicious! The caramel adds an extra level of flavor. Instead of pandan, I added vanilla and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Kaya toast with crunchy PB and a sunny side up fried egg is my new breakfast addition!
Sounds like a dream. I am happy that you like my kaya.
Hi!
Should I use the whole egg (egg white + yolk)?
Yes.
hey !!!
Thanks so much for this recipe. I’m back home from Malaysia and desperate to reproduce that splendid Kaya that I miss so much.
But here in Europe, I can find Pandan leaves that you use to infuse in the mixture… do you know if I can replace it with something else similar ?
Thanks !!!!
Hi! I’m wondering if it is possible to make in a crock pot?
I think so but I haven’t tried.
I had never heard of kaya – and I consider myself to be an accomplished cook – until I discovered a recipe on another blog for a pandan cheesecake that is layered with kaya. As soon as I learned about this stuff – coconut, eggy custard, and pandan all together??? – I had to have it. I researched several recipes and decided to go with yours. It’s the only one that included making and adding a caramel, and I knew that it would add a wonderful depth of flavor. I changed the method somewhat, although I’m not sure it was necessary. I heated the coconut milk and cream in a saucepan with the sugar, and then tempered it into the beaten eggs in a medium bowl. I then poured the mixture back into the sauce pan, added the slurry, and continued to stir it over a larger pot of simmering water (double boiler method) for about 20 minutes, maybe 30. Anyway, it was easier than I expected it to be. I was unable to find pandan leaves, so I used the paste. (3/4 tsp to your recipe). Of course, mine turned out green, not caramel colored, but I have to tell you that it is wonderful! I’m so glad that the recipe made more than I needed for the cake, because I can’t stop eating this stuff. I will never live without it again! Thanks!!
That’s awesome Debra. Thanks for your comment and I am happy that you tried my kaya recipe. It’s absolutely delightful.
please let me know…what is the difference between coconut milk and coconut cream..does coconut milk made from fresh coconut? how about coconut cream…? I’m sorry I didn’t understand…I’m from Indonesia and happy about your website as well…thank you very much about your recipes..
Coconut cream is thicker and not diluted.
Hi, Bee. I just made this twice and both failed. The first one I followed your recipe to the t until the mixture became very curdled and not even thickened. It was so runny and soupy. I tossed that into the bin and started again. I thought the heat was too strong so I used double boiler. Everything went well (or so I thought) then I poured the mixture into a pot and mixed in the cornstrach slurry. The consistency was like thick creme anglaise until I poured in the hot caramel. It immediately curdled like egg soup. I kept stiring and hoped that it would thicken as it cooled down but it didn’t. It remains watery as I’m writing this. What do you think have I done wrong? :'(
Hi Dita, I am so sorry but not sure what happened. If you follow my recipe exactly there is no way it’s runny or curdle like an egg soup. It will look exactly like that I have in the pictures.
Hello! My little Girl Scout troop will be representing Malaysia for World Thinking Day. I am looking over recipes that are 1. easy 2. appealing to a group of 8/9 year old girls :) This one looks like it fits the bill! My question is, we have to make enough to have samples for roughly 100 girls. Do you have any idea if I could double or even triple this recipe? Thanks!
Yes you can double the recipe and you use a little bit just on the toast, so you should be OK with 2x the recipe.
Hihi,
Can I ask why the kaya gets thicker when cooking and eventually turns into custard-like after 30 mins which I assuming was successful. However, after cooling it down to room temperature, the kaya turns out to be like pudding.
May I know what is wrong and how to solve it please? Thanks.
Dan
I think you overcooked it.
Hi,
Can teach me how to cook Kaya