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Homemade Pandan Kaya

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Recipe for Homemade Pandan Kaya (revised on 12 Nov 2013)

Largely adapted from 创意生活 Fan Page

Ingredients:
5 large eggs (about 65g each)
220g castor sugar
300 ml coconut milk (preferable freshly squeezed and undiluted) (note 1)
13-15 fresh pandan leaves (screw pine leaves) (depending on the size) (note 2)

Methods:

  1. Wash the pandan leaves and set aside 5 leaves which will be used during cooking. To extract the pandan juice, use a pair of scissors snip the pandan leaves into thin strips. Blend them with 100ml coconut milk. until they become pulp. Pour the pulp into a muslin bag and squeeze out the juice. Return a little juice back to the pulp and squeeze again. Repeat this step for 2-3 times. This will give the jam a greener hue and a more fragrant taste. You can also squeeze the pandan pulp by using your hands with a sieve below to filter the juice.
  2. In a mixing bowl, crack the eggs. Use a hand balloon whisk to lightly beat the eggs (note 3). Add sugar and stir until  dissolved. Then add coconut milk and pandan juice to combine.
  3. Pour the mixture into a large cooking pot (pan or wok) through a sieve (or strainer) (note 4). Cut the remaining 5 pandan leaves into pieces (about 5-6inches length) and add to the mixture.
  4. Start cooking the mixture under medium heat. Use hand whisk balloon or wood spatula to constantly stir the mixture to avoid lumps from forming and the kaya sticks to the bottom.After 5-8 minutes when the pot is hot, reduce the heat to medium low. Continue cooking until it is thickened and turns to jam-like texture. Use low heat towards the end of the cooking process. It takes you about half an hour (note 10). If you stir the mixture, the lines appearing will stay on the mixture. This indicates the kaya is done.
  5. Remove the pandan leaves and let the jam cool down completely. Transfer the jam to a sterilised glass container and refrigerate it.

Notes:

  1. You can need freshly grated coconuts from 2 to 2.5 coconuts to extract 300ml concentrated coconut milk (without adding water).
  2. You can use less pandan leaves if you prefer a lighter green hue for the jam.
  3. Do not over beat the eggs as it will create air bubbles which will cause the appearance of lumps during the cooking process.
  4. Sieving the mixture before cooking will help to discard any impurities and air bubbles formed.
  5. A large cooking surface  is preferred to allow the heat to spread more evenly during cooking. I use a large AMC stainless steel pot with 25cm diameter.
  6. The longer you cook the jam, the greener hue the jam will be.
  7. The texture of the jam will become thicker after it’s cool down completely, and even more after it’s refrigerated.
  8. I cook my jam using gas stove . If you cook with induction cooker, start with 120 degree and later reduce to 90 degree as suggested by THIS LINK).  Another option is to cook with double-boiled method as shown on THIS LINK.
  9. This jam can last for 2-3 weeks in the fridge. Make sure you use a clean spoon every time you scoop the jam.
  10. With this revised method, the kaya can be done in half an hour (not 1.5 hours as I did previously). However, it may look a bit grainy. If you like a smooth, shiny and creamy consistency kaya, you just need to blend it. 

 

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30 Comments

  1. Alice says:

    Okay! Set! I couldn’t wait to give this a shot! Simply love the green hue of the kaya! 😀

  2. mycookinghut says:

    Kaya with pandan is my all time favourite!

  3. tigerfish says:

    So vivid green and fresh! Amazing homemade kaya. The pandan and coconut aroma must be soooooo alluring! Thanks for sharing the tips.

    Nowadays I eat my kaya toast with peanut butter. Quite nice too.

  4. This is my favourite childhood “jam” for my toast. Really addictive.

  5. food-4tots says:

    ZZ: Yes, you can but I’m not sure how much the amount is required. 😉

  6. I’d love to try this! Pandan green is so beautiful!

  7. Sunny says:

    I love kaya jam! So im going to try this one…. Are u using the egg white too?

  8. ying says:

    Hi Ms Low, you mention in step 1 use 100ml coconut milk to blend with pandan leaves. In step 2, then add in remaining 200ml of coconut milk? Thank you

  9. Wendy says:

    Can you substitute the sugar with honey? Thinking to make this for my in law who is diabetic so wonder if it will thicken if I use honey…

    • food-4tots says:

      Wendy: I don’t think this recipe will work with honey. Please note that this recipe is high in sugar (whether you use normal sugar or honey) and not recommended for people with diabetes. 🙂

  10. Meeks says:

    I fell in love with kaya pandan while visiting Malaysia. I heard there is a caramel kaya as well. Any idea how to make that? I had a delicious french toast made with peanut butter and kaya. After it was grilled to a golden brown ,it was topped with butter. Sinfully delicious!

  11. Mindy says:

    Can I replace the coconut milk with fresh milk?

  12. Pixie says:

    have u made kaya using double boiler? I have seen people making kaya using double boiler, but as far as i understand, the top pot of the boiler should not touch the simmering water below. Is it right?
    There are people who make kaya with the top pot placing inside a boiling pot of water. Which is correct? I am so confused. Hope you can explain, thanks

  13. Azie says:

    Hi,looks great! Just a question, for smoother kaya, do you blend before cooking or after cooking?

  14. Eve says:

    Hellos!

    Do you buy freshly grated coconut and blend with water before straining to get the coconut milk? Because you mentioned best if undiluted but I was googling how to get coconut milk and it requires water.

    Thanks!

  15. Lodye says:

    How many days is the jam consumable?

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