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.

Which may explain why genuine kaya seem to be harder and harder to find if you're looking for it in Singapore and Malaysia: it's not just the decline of traditional Peranakan lifestyles that's doing it, it's the time that making real kaya eats up: the hour upon hours of stirring thickening egg and coconut slurry just dont appeal to todays generation. You can still go shopping in Singapore and Malaysia and find off the shelf kaya, but true kaya enthusiasts complain about its thinnner consistency and taste. the kopitiam throughout Singapore and Malaysia are still your best bet for the most authentic kaya experience even nyonyas from centuries past might approve of. Interviewee's name: Baba Charlie

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.