Homemade Pandan Kaya
Kaya is a popular jam spread in both Malaysia and Singapore. It is a thick jam made from fresh coconut milk, eggs and sugar, infused with the scent of pandan leaves (screw pine leaves). It is often slathered together with a generous slab of butter in between two slices of crisp toast, hence named “kaya toast”.
When I was a child, I ate kaya made by my mom. But nowadays, I buy them. After trying out so many of the so called “homemade” kaya, I still couldn’t find one that I was really satisfied with. So, I told myself that I should stop this endless searching and make it myself.
As I love the green colour and scent of pandan leaves (screw pines), I decided to make pandan kaya instead of the traditional golden brown kaya.
I came across a recipe on Facebook which sounds very promising, along with some photos that look convincing too. This recipe claimed that all it takes is 10-15 minutes to produce a smooth-looking kaya. No gimmick but just constant stirring with the direct heat method.
By following this recipe with some slight modifications, I finally made my own pandan kaya – not once but four times over the past two months! This is really a record breaking feat for someone like me who has a phobia in making kaya all this while. Haha! Although I didn’t get the desired results within the said 10-15 minutes, I’m still proud that I have overcome my fear in making kaya. It’s not as scary as I had imagined. Nevertheless, it was only on my 4th attempt that I managed to make a perfect looking pandan kaya. The texture is SO smooth, shiny and creamy that no further blending is required. Besides its beautiful green hue, it tastes superb and bursts with the fragrant scent of pandan leaves.
I’m going to share all the tips and tricks that I learned from my past 4 attempts on the recipe. This method is easy-to-follow but may need a little patience, attention and arm muscles. Be prepared to spend around one and a half hour to make this kaya (**). But, I must say that it is definitely worth the effort to make this preservative-free, artificial colouring-free, starch-fre, ALL NATURAL homemade pandan kaya. I’m not sure about you but I am definitely not going to buy my kaya anymore.
** – I have revised my cooking method on 12 Nov 2013 and the kaya can be done in half an hour now! Please refer to my recipe at Page 2 below.
Note:
If you look at the photo below, you will see two different shades of green for my pandan kaya. The one on the left was taken in my kitchen during noon whereas the one on the right was taken in my living in the late evening. Due to the poor lighting in my living room, the photo didn’t do enough justice to the actual colour tone of my pandan kaya. In fact, the photo on the left is closer to the actual tone.
Get the recipe and step by step tutorial for Homemade Pandan Kaya at PAGE 2 BELOW.
30 Comments
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Okay! Set! I couldn’t wait to give this a shot! Simply love the green hue of the kaya! 😀
Alice: Great!! Hope you will like it! 😉
Kaya with pandan is my all time favourite!
Lee Mei (MCH): I’m sure you ate kaya made by your mom too. Hehe! 😉
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.
Tigerfish: Wow! Kaya + peanut butter! What a great combi! 😉
This is my favourite childhood “jam” for my toast. Really addictive.
Christine: Yeah, it’s indeed very addictive. 🙂
ZZ: Yes, you can but I’m not sure how much the amount is required. 😉
I’d love to try this! Pandan green is so beautiful!
Nami: Thank you! Hope it works for you too. 😉
I love kaya jam! So im going to try this one…. Are u using the egg white too?
Sunny: Yes, with egg white too. Hope this method works for you too. Happy trying! 😉
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
Ying: Yes, add the coconut milk in 2 respective steps. 🙂
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…
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. 🙂
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!
Meeks: I’m sorry that I haven’t tried it out myself. But, I’m sure you can easily find one from online. 🙂
Can I replace the coconut milk with fresh milk?
Mindy: I’m not sure as I haven’t tried it before. I suggest that you follow this recipe exactly for best result. 🙂
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
Pixie: Sorry, I haven’t used the double boiling method in making kaya. Maybe you can do a search on google. 🙂
[…] Recipe I used was adapted from here. https://food-4tots.com/2013/10/03/homemade-pandan-kaya/ […]
Hi,looks great! Just a question, for smoother kaya, do you blend before cooking or after cooking?
Azie: You blend the kaya after cooking. Happy trying! 🙂
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!
Eve: I usually squeeze the freshly grated coconut to extract the milk without adding any water (with all my strength LOL).
How many days is the jam consumable?
Lodye: It can last 1-2 weeks in the fridge. Make sure to use a clean spoon to scoop the kaya. 🙂