I spent 3 1/2 hours reading my management notes, preparing dinner and dancing away to music as I stood stirring this precious pot all afternoon.What's so precious? you ask...
It's Kaya. The word "Kaya" means "rich" in the Malay language, and RICH is definitely a good word to represent its yummy sweet gooey-ness ! In culinary terms, Kaya would be described as a Malay spread of Egg curd/jam.
In Malaysian-student-studying-abroad terms, Kaya= MmmMmmmmm!*YUM!!*
I'm usually all for fast and easy recipes; the type of person who would try cooking/defrosting/baking almost everything in the microwave to see if it works quicker that way! *laughs* I'm still bewildered by how I refused to work that same way this morning. I browsed and took apart 8 or more Kaya recipes online and from books. I tweaked my proportions a little according to reviews and Kaya-making tips available to reduce the sugar and cholesterol levels without destroying the recipes completely.
1 1/2 cup sugar1 1/3 coconut milk - try to get freshly squeezed milk (canned worked fine for me too *shrug*)
5 eggs (XL size)- use very FRESH eggs
Beat eggs and sugar till well blended. Cook in a slow cooker over low heat. When slightly thickened, pour in coconut milk in a thin stream. Stir well until liquid mixture is thick and gooey. The color should have changed from yellow to a darker shade in 1-2 hours of constant stirring. Look for a recipe you can do in the microwave if you're feeling lazy. Google is gold. *wink*
*sigh* My end product was SOoo VERY satisfying....stirring Kaya in my slowcooker continuously for hours was frustrating but there wasn't any other way to achieve deliciously smooth, silky Kaya!
I decided to share my Kaya with several Malaysian friends who lived nearby to try making it worth my trouble. I would eat my Kaya on a slice of toast for breakfast in the morning; but I wouldn't touch Kaya out of jars available at Asian supermarkets...After having a go at making my own; and shivering at the cup loads of sugar....I wonder what goes into manufactured Kaya which tastes a WHOLE lot sweeter and is BROWN....mine is yellow...cup and cups of sugar caramelizing was done to achieve its dark rich color. *shudder*
I made several strips of butter-y puff pastry as a delicious accompaniment to our freshly made Kaya. Dessert was simply divine!...*sigh* heavenly....*licks lips*
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9 comments:
i'm sure manufactured kaya is made via longer processing hours to allow vivid caramelization . perhaps more patience in letting the sugar dissolve will suffice :) you omitted pandan leaves :P but it still looks gorgeously yummylicious :)
i waited a LONGG while for it to change to a different shade, but its consistency and colour refused to budge, and I was worried about burning my deliciously perfect pot of kaya! LOL. Pandan leaves for green nyonya kaya?...next attempt ;)
I wish I was your neighbour...but I'm 1 state away from u...hehe...
Ingredients seems easy but 3 hrs of stirring is loong...and I can't seem to find it in the Asian grocery stores here...and it's not allowed to be brought in from Singapore as it contains eggs...sigh..
Wonder when will we get to eat kaya again...???
Su Yin, your kaya looks really nice. I believe it tastes nice, too. :P
I never try a good kaya before. The one in the supermarket is far too sweet for me... Now kaya will be on my to-do-list. Will try to use the breadmaker, though. :P Will let you know the results!
BTW, I will link you to my new-born blog if u dun mind.
No pandan leaves/ vanilla essence! it spoils the taste of kaya. kaya is all about caramel and coconut.
Hi! I have some shortcuts that work perfectly for me... I first use the microwave method to cook the mixture. (it'll come out yellowish/greenish) Then I make some dark caramel in a pot on the stove. (if you don't want it to be too sweet, don't put all the sugar into the microwave mixture, use part of the sugar for the caramel) Pour the microwave mixture into the caramel and cook the kaya on the stove for a bit. It helps to use a whisk to stir but you don't really have to worry about the lumps. I just use a hand blender to blend the kaya in the pot and the final product comes out silky smooth! If you don't have a hand blender, you can use a regular blender instead. Caramelizing the sugar separately really gives it a nice golden brown color and the blender makes it super smooth. Hope this works for you too....
my malay grandmama made 2 types of kaya: (1) with daun-pandan (screwpine - pandanus latifolius)juice and white sugar: this gives nice green-tinge and very fragrant kaya; (2) with gula melaka ( "sugar" made from coconut-flower-stem juice ) for that intense dark-brown and beautifully sweet kaya...
you guys should try to make them....
all the best and happy cooking
ik, townsville, QLD
Hi Su,
Thanks for your kiwi jam and the kaya recipes. I am living in Australia, I'm a baking and cooking addict. Being looking for a good kaya recipe, you have solve my problem. Cheers.
Just made some!!.... Wuuhoo....! THANK YOU SU YIN!.... Sedap... going to have it with my toast/ cream crakers tmrw morning.. :)
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