Homemade kaya

[khiemtran]

So, this all started when HL mentioned that she had her Ah Por's (Grandmother's) recipe for kaya and that the last time anyone had tried to make it, it had failed...



Ah Por's recipe included ten duck eggs and homemade caramel, but we decided to try with chicken eggs instead and to scale the quantities down by half (to avoid the dreaded Month of Bad Kaya should the recipe fail). HL also had the idea to replace the white sugar with brown in case it avoided the need for the caramel.

So, to start off, here's "half a kati" (250g) of brown sugar. Actually, that's half a modern Chinese kati (or "catty"). We found out later that a Malaysian kati is standardized at just over 600g.



Next come the duck err... chicken eggs.





Now stir for half an hour until the sugar dissolves. At this point I suggested HL call me in half and hour when she wanted the next photo taken. Not so fast!



Now here's where Ah Por's recipes omits a step. We know it uses santan (coconut milk), one coconut's worth, but nowhere does it mention when to add it in. We decided to add it during the stirring phase.

We also decided half a coconut's worth was half a small tin...



After much stirring, the sugar and the santan seemed to have all dissolved, so the next step was to place the mix in a double boiler. Here's the water boiling on the stove. Expert readers may already be able to spot one vital mistake here.



The bowl being heated by the boiling pot below. Now we have to stir for the next hour until the kaya thickens and turns brown. We were also supposed to add pandan leaves but we forgot to buy them (we did have pandan essence, but decided not to use it.)



For long stirring tasks, I recommend a Barossa Shiraz Grenache.



Starting to thicken now, but ... what's this? It's starting to turn lumpy!



Aiyeeeeeee!!!!! It turns out we've overheated the egg and it's hardened on us.



What went wrong? It looks like we filled the saucepan too high and the water touched the base of the metal bowl. Ruined!

But wait... the internet is at hand! A quick google throws up lots of websites covering the making of kaya (and admonishments against overheating) and it looks like a blender could save the day...



Ah Por was famous for her kaya, but this is one tool she didn't have at her disposal...



It worked! With a little water added, the kaya soon becomes smooth and kaya-like.



HL's happy face.



And the result... kaya toast!



And the taste? Wonderfully creamy and sweet with a mild coconut flavour. Think Nutella, but with coconut and honey instead of chocolate. Delicious!

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Think Nutella, but with coconut and honey instead of chocolate.

That sounds really delicious.

Duck eggs: weirdly, one of my kids is allergic to duck eggs. When we lived with my in-laws, who kept both chickens and ducks, if we used duck eggs in cooking (which we did for cakes and things because they were bigger), he'd get violently sick.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's surprising. I didn't know anyone could be allergic to duck eggs. Better watch out for kaya if he ever goes to Malaysia then...

Barossa Shiraz Grenache, that's what I needed

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Ha! I wish I had read this post before making some 2-ingredient (chocolate solids and water) chocolate mousse tonight. I kept thinking I'd do it by hand, but after 15 minutes of constant whisking and no end in sight, I caved and used the electric mixer. Now I feel like a sissy. :P

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

I think we'll try using an electric beater next time. I've also seen one internet recipe that just uses a microwave at short intervals with whisking in between and the whole thing should be done in twenty minutes. HL's Ah Por's original recipe calls for half an hour of beating, followed by an hour of double boiling and stirring, followed by two more hours of double boiling and stirring... I don't think I could drink that much Shiraz.