Trying to replicate my grandmother's best Hainanese kaya in just 10 minutes with this kaya recipe using coconut cream, egg yolks, pandan leaves and gula melaka. This kaya is perfect to spread on toasts, in cookies and pastries.
Separate 4 large egg yolks from egg whites. Remove egg whites as much as possible.
4 large egg yolks
Whisk egg yolks.
Warm 200 ml coconut cream and 50 g gula melaka over low heat in a non-stick pot. Cut 5-6 pandan leaves into smaller pieces (about 1 inch) and add to the mixture.
200 ml coconut cream, 50 g gula melaka, 5-6 pandan leaves
Stir to mix well. Coconut mixture will turn brown because of the gula melaka. Gula melaka will dissolve into the mixture. Let it simmer but not to boil.
Reduce heat further to the minimal, Keep stirring the mixture while slowly pouring the egg yolks to ensure the yolks are not cooked. There might be some lumps initially.
Stir constantly. The mixture will start to thicken at around 6 minutes.
The mixture thickens further at around 8 minutes at an internal temperature of about 68 degree celsius / 154 degree Fahrenheit. After around 10 minutes, the jam should be thick enough to coat the spatula. Turn off heat.
Let it cool. Sieve the jam to remove the pandan leaves.
Store in airtight container. Kaya can be stored in the fridge for up to 10 days. Kaya will thicken slightly more after chilled in the fridge.
Video
Notes
This recipe yields about 200ml +/- of kaya.Using the coconut cream makes thickening the jam much faster. If you prefer the jam to be more liquid, you can use 100ml coconut cream and 100ml coconut milk. It'll take slightly longer for the jam to thicken. See my Pandan Kaya recipe which I used the coconut milk to make. There is a difference between coconut cream and coconut milk. Coconut milk has higher fat content and when diluted with water, it becomes coconut milk. Many coconut brands you see in the supermarket such as Santan and Kara have both coconut cream and coconut milk. You can substitute gula melaka with brown sugar.Cook at very very low heat to avoid the eggs from being cooked faster. Controlling the heat is important. I used the smallest hob on my stove at the lowest temperature when adding the yolks.