Kaya Coconut Jam

Kaya Coconut Jam, a popular and delicious breakfast toast spread, that is so good, you will want it as a snack.

Kaya Coconut Jam on toast is one of my favorite Singaporean breakfast foods, and some may say it is the national breakfast of Singapore. What is a Singaporean breakfast? Frankly, there is no hard and fast rule. If a hawker stall or eatery is serving it in the morning, there is no reason why you cannot have it for breakfast. Hence, it is not uncommon for Singaporeans to have a hot bowl of noodles for breakfast. 

"Kaya" is basically a jam made from coconut milk, egg yolks, sugar and flavored with pandan leaves (screwpine leaves). "Kaya" is a Malay word which means "rich", referencing the custard texture of the jam. It is often served on toast (sometimes with butter or margarine), and paired with soft-boiled eggs seasoned with soy sauce and white pepper, along with a hot cup of coffee or tea. It is considered to be a breakfast staple in Singapore and is available at almost every hawker center or coffee shop. It is so popular that Singaporeans often have it as snack as well.
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I usually make a large batch but you can scale the recipe down to 2/3 portion. The jam can be made and kept refrigerated in an air-tight container and goes well with toast, crackers and other pastries like croissants. The recipe only calls for egg yolks, so I usually use up the leftover egg whites by making an egg white omelet.

Kaya Coconut Jam
by Miss Crumbs A Lot, adapted from cookbook "Singapore Hawker Food" by Jimmy Chua

Recipe
Ingredients
9 Egg Yolks
300 g Sugar
375 ml Coconut Milk
10 stalks Pandan Leaves (Screwpine Leaves) (cut into small pieces)
3 tbsp water
2 drops Pandan Essence
Cheese Cloth

Cooking Method
1. Make pandan extract first. Place cut pandans leaves in food processor or blender. Add water and blend until it is in the form of a paste. 
2. Lay the cheese cloth over a bowl and transfer the pandan paste onto the cloth. Squeeze out all the juice into the bowl. This should yield 2-3 tbsp of extract. Set aside.
3. Whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl until it is well mixed.
4. Add coconut milk and mix well.
5. Add pandan extract and pandan essence and stir well. At this point, it should look like pastel green cream.
6. Transfer mixture into a pot through a seive.
7. Heat mixture over low med/low heat, stirring constantly. It is important to stir constantly to prevent lumps.
8. Cook for 45 min or until it is a thick, jam like consistency.
9. Set aside to cool before storing in air-tight containers. Keep refrigerated,
10. It is best to allow refrigerated "Kaya" jam to get to room temperature before consuming.

Egg white omelet (using the leftover egg whites) with spinach topped with chopped tomatoes and some leftover beef steak that I cut up into small pieces. Quick and easy breakfast or brunch dish.