SERI KAYA
What is Seri Kaya? a Heritage food from
Malaysia's colonial history which while Malaysia and Singapore have both
succumbed to the mollification endemic throughout Southeast Asia, pockets of
both countries have resisted and it is to our benefit that this resistance
continue , for without it, we would be deprived of kopitiam staples like roti
kaya.
![]() |
Seri Kaya, also called Kaya or coconut
egg jam, is a sweet creamy coconut spread made from coconut milk ( also known
as santan), duck or chicken egg which are flavored by pandan leaf and sweetened
with sugar. the colour varies depending on the colour of the egg yolks, the
amount of pandan and extent of caramelisation of the sugar. As a popular
local spread, kaya is typically spread on toast to make kaya toast and eaten in
the morning but is enjoyed throughout the day.
Different varieties available include
nyonya kaya, which is a lighter green colour, and Hainanese kaya, which is a
darker brown and uses caramalised sugar, and is often further sweetened with
honey. Kaya is used as a topping for several dessert including pulut taitai or
pulut tekan a dessert of sweet glutinous rice coloured blue with butterfly pea
flower (bunga telang), and pulut seri muka, a similar dessert but coloured
green with pandan leaves. It is also used with glutinous rice to make kuih seri
kaya.
Roti kaya is as traditional a breakfast
as you can get in urban Malaysia and Singapore: a deceptively simply dish of
toasted berad, margarine and kaya spread taht goes so very well with the trong
Liberica coffee beloved of kopitiam regular. Kaya spread comes to us from the
Peranakan, or the blended Malay and Chinese community of centuries past, whose
nyonyas whipped up kaya from coconut cream, eggs and sugar. Kaya in the
palm-sugartown of Melaka was coloured brown, thanks to surplus of palm sugat in
the mix other part of Malaysia specialized in green kaya, which derives its
colour from the use of the pandan leaf. "Making a good kaya is no easy
task, it takes a long-long time," Malaysian food tour expert Pauline Lee
explains to us, as we ponder Lai Foong Kopitiam's menu."it has high
thickness, consistency, the good ones made by a nyonya. A good kaya it can feel
when you put a spoon in it, it doesn't move.
SERI KAYA
|
|
INGREDIENT
|
AMOUNT
|
Large Egg
|
10Nos
|
Thick Coconot Milk
|
1Can
|
White Sugar
|
1Cup
|
Pandan Essence
|
Few Drop
|
First of all will be break 10 eggs into a large mixing bowl. Whisk briefly to
break the yolks and add 1 cup sugar and whisk to combine. Second step using
electric beaters or a mixer beat the eggs and sugar until frothy (about 1
minute) and add 1 can coconut milk. Beat again to incorporate (10 seconds).
Third step Pour mixture into a pot. Using your whisk or a
spatula, stir the kaya over medium heat until hot to the touch, then reduce to
low. Tip: if you can feel a
skin of egg forming on the bottom of the pan, your heat is too high. Note that this step can also be performed with a
double-boiler. Cook in this way for 15 to 20 minutes, until the kaya
thickens. Follow by, add a few drops of pandan essence. This will turn your kaya
light green and add a subtle pandan flavour. Stir the pandan essence into the kaya (if using). If not adding the
pandan, your coconut jam will be
reddish-brown in color (this is due to the carmelization of the sugar). Remove
kaya from heat.
The end part Ladle your kaya into the prepared jars and cap with the
lids. If you're using sterilized (hot) jars, use oven gloves for this step. If not using sterilized jars: Allow
the kaya to cool, then ladle into containers and place in the refrigerator.
Enjoy your Seri Kaya.