Kaya Jam (Coconut Egg Jam)

Ingredients for egg mixture

• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cup (200g) sugar
• 1 1/4 cup coconut cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 pandan leaves or 2 drop of pandan extract
  • Honestly, if you omit the pandan, it will still taste amazing, but adding it will definitely make your kaya jam traditional.
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water
• (Optional) 1 tablespoon vanilla Jello powder

Ingredients for caramel

• 1/4 cup (50g) sugar

Instructions

1. First, let’s make the egg mixture. In a saucepan, add eggs and sugar. Whisk until evenly combined.
2. Add coconut cream and vanilla extract to the mixture and whisk again until combined.
3. Add the pandan leaves or pandan extract.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil on medium high heat while stirring frequently to make sure the bottom doesn’t burn.
5. Once the mixture begins to boil, turn down the heat to medium low and cook (probably for 8-10 minutes). The mixture should have started to thicken.
6. In a small bowl, add cornstarch, vanilla Jello powder, and water. Mix until combined.
7. Then, add this mixture into the saucepan and stir well to combine. Turn the heat down to low.
8. Let’s make the caramel, which help the kaya get its signature deep color. In a separate saucepan, add the sugar on stir on medium high heat until the sugar melts.
9. Stir the caramel on medium heat until it’s golden brown (probably 5 minutes). Be careful here because sugar can burn really quickly, so err on the the safe side.
10. Add the caramel to the kaya and stir well to combine. Remove the pandan leaves, if you’re using them. At this point, it’s totally okay if there are lumps, but make sure the mixture is thick like jam. If it’s not, cook on medium high heat until it is.
11. Cool the mixture down, and then blend the mixture for 2 minutes or until the mixture becomes super smooth.
12. You’re done! Make sure you keep the kaya jam in either the refrigerator or freezer.

Kaya Jam (Coconut Egg Jam) is a great recipe to make a huge batch of to spread on toast, add into buns, use as a dip, and the list goes on and on. It’s a deliciously gooey spread that is not too difficult to make for yourself or even to give as a gift. It really brings me back to travels in Hong Kong or Southeast Asia where kaya toast is super popular, so give it a try and let me know how it goes!