Kaya Toast
Not the prettiest picture, but I promise this tastes amazing. Kaya is a strange sauce that I always struggle to describe the flavor for -- coconut and vanilla flavored? -- but it's so intriguing. I had my first exposure to kaya toast at either Breadbelly or Naya (don't remember exactly), and since then it's always been something that I look out for. In the picture, I was impatient and didn't let it cool (which is probably why it looks more thin / liquidy than it should). Enjoy with toast + thin slices of butter for a delightful breakfast or dessert. Besides toast, there are a bunch of other delicious applications, such as for donut / criossant fillings, steamed buns, and much more. It can be made in bulk and also works great as a small gift for others!
Active Time: 15 min
Total Time: 15 min
Ingredients
> coconut cream (200g)
> egg yolks (4)
> pandan extract (1 tsp)
> granulated sugar (80g)
> palm sugar (20g)
for the toast:
> milk bread / brioche
> cold butter
Instructions
1. Mix together the coconut cream, sugar, and pandan extract. Warm over medium-low heat and mix until the sugars are fully dissolved and the mixture is slightly warmed.
2. Temper the egg yolks: add the coconut cream mixture a little bit at a time into the egg yolks, making sure to constantly mix. Pour the egg mixture back into the coconut cream mixture and mix.
3. Continue to stir and cook over medium-low heat until the mixture starts to thicken. It should coat the back of a spatula thickly, but still have a spreadable consistency. This was around 10 minutes for me.
4. Let cool, then transfer to a glass jar and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
For the toast:
1. Toast the bread well; this is about 5 minutes in a conventional toaster oven.
2. Place a few thin slices of cold butter on top
3. Spoon some kaya jam on top, and spread. Enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> Supposedly, the palm sugar helps give it a more caramelized taste, which gives it that characteristic kaya taste. I didn't have palm sugar so I ended up just doing a 2:1 ratio of white sugar to brown sugar instead, which I figured might give me a similar flavor profile.
> Make sure to carefully separate the egg yolks and egg whites. In most cases, it's okay to have a little white in the yolk, but this is not one of those cases. The egg whites will cook first, leading to a lumpy kaya.
> Coconut cream often comes in cans, and the liquid has a tendency to separate from the cream part. Try to use ONLY the cream part, avoid putting in the liquid part. This will reduce the cooking time required.
> Don't reduce down the jam too much, as the mixture will continue to firm up once it's cooled in the fridge. So bring the texture down to just less than what you'd ideally want. Don't freeze it; that'll make the coconut cream split.