Homemade Kaya

You've not lived until you've tasted homemade kaya which is aromatic, rich and smooth... YUMMM!

Serikaya recipe (from Cecilia Tan's book "Foods of my Childhood: Penang Nyonya Cooking":

1 big coconut, grated
3 A-sized eggs
300g sugar
2 – 3 pandan leaves
2 tbsp sugar

PREPARATION:
1. Squeeze thick concentrated coconut cream from grated coconut into a piece of muslin cloth. Add no water to coconut. Set aside
2. Beat eggs and add 300g sugar into it. Beat mixture with a wooden spoon till sugar dissolves. Do not beat too hard.
3. Wash and tear screwpine leaves into two down the middle and knot.

METHOD:
1. Bring half a large pot of water to the boil. Lower heat and keep water below boiling point.
2. Select a container that will fit into the pot. Fill container with beaten sugar and egg, coconut milk and pandan leaves. Mix well.
3. Lower container into the large pot to steam. Stir mixture with wooden spoon continuously for about 15-20 minutes to prevent any curdling. Stir till a custard-like consistency is obtained.
4. Meanwhile, heat two tbsp sugar in a ladle until it melts and turns brown. Add quickly into coconut milk and egg mixture and stir well.
5. Remove container from pot and wrap a piece of cloth firmly round the top. This is to prevent steam from entering the jam.
6. Put container back into steaming pot, cover lid and steam on medium heat for 2 hours.
7. To prevent curdling and to ensure that the coconut jam has a smooth consistency, stir it once or twice after removing the cloth from the container. Rewrap the cloth each time after stirring.
8. The water level in the pot must be maintained throughout the process of steaming.
9. Turn heat off after two hours. Allow jam to cool. Store in bottles or jars. Serve

Note: More eggs may be added for a variation of texture and flavour. Increase sugar accordingly.


My version:

INGREDIENTS:
Santan from coconut (from market) which measures out to about 1 rice bowl
1 rice bowl of sugar (adjust for sweetness)
1 rice bowl of eggs (3 - 4 eggs depending on size of egg)

Then follow method as above. This words from my mother rings in my head every time I made kaya... "jee ua santan, jee ua t'ng, jee ua nui"

Very important to keep water just below boiling point for smooooooooth kaya. If water reaches boiling point, the kaya will curdle.

Homemade kaya on freshly baked bread..... DOUBLE YUMMM!