Kaya is a Malaysian Custard Jam made from thick coconut milk, eggs, and Pandan juice or extract and is often consumed with toast. There are different variation of making this jam but my personal favourite is this quick and easy slow cook curd that you can make in less than 30 minutes.
If you are interested to learn how to make your own Pandan Juice and Pandan Extract, visit my page on Pandan Juice and Extract for more guidelines.
To make Kaya that is silky smooth
The key to making a silky smooth Kaya is through slow steam cooking. You can place all the strained ingredients into a bowl over a warm water bath and whisk until thickens, although I find this method inconsistent depending on the type of bowl you are using and how wide your saucepan is. The base of the bowl often catches the heat much quicker and have a higher tendency of overcooking before the rest of the mixture.
One of my favourite way of cooking the curd is by placing a wide deep pan over the heat, place a wet tea towel submerged in the water and bring the water to a simmer. Whisk all the ingredients together then sieve them over a smaller size wide deep pan then place it on top of the tea towel and gently stir over the steaming heat until thickens. Halfway through cooking, start whisking the mixture until it reaches a thick consistency.
If you want a silky smooth jam, place the jam in a deep jug and stick blend until smooth.
Storage
Once the kaya are cooked, place them in sterilised jar and cover with a lid once cooled. Kaya should be stored in the fridge and served chilled and will last up to 3 to 5 weeks depending on the storage quality of your fridge.
RECIPE
Makes 2 x medium jars
280 g Coconut Milk
25 g Pandan Juice
250 g Granulated Sugar
250 g Whole Eggs
Method
Combine coconut milk, sugar, eggs and pandan juice in a bowl and whisk until well combined.
Place a wide deep pan over medium heat and fill it half with hot water. Place a wet tea towel submerged in the centre of the pan then place another smaller wide deep pan on top of the tea towel.
Strain the kaya mixture into the smaller pan and stir to cook the curd until it starts to thicken whilst maintaining the water on a low simmer. Whisk half way through cooking if the curd starts to look like it is separating. Once it starts to thickens or when it reaches 80°C when tested with a thermometer, turn the heat off and transfer the kaya into a deep bowl or jug and stick blend until smooth. If you do not have a stick blender, simply pass them through a fine sieve. This whole cooking process takes approximately 20 MINUTES.
Once ready, ladle them in to jars and leave to cool before placing a lid over.
Storage
Kaya can be stored in an air tight container or jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
