Kaya toast is a candy and decadent breakfast staple first popularized within the conventional espresso retailers, often known as kopitiams, of Malaysia, Singapore, and different elements of Southeast Asia. Two items of toasted bread sandwich a slice of chilly salted butter and a beneficiant portion of kaya jam, a candy, custardy unfold constituted of coconut cream, sugar, and egg yolks. Although cooking methods range throughout the area, many iterations embrace pandan, a tropical herb that lends the jam a grassy, barely nutty aroma. Dip these candy, fragrant sandwiches into runny eggs seasoned with soy sauce and white pepper to begin your day on essentially the most luscious of notes.
Search for pandan leaves within the freezer part of your native Asian grocery retailer, or substitute with 1 teaspoon of pandan extract on the finish of the cooking course of.
Leftover kaya jam makes a stunning filling for pastries, muffins, or French toast.
Featured in “Meet the Espresso-Store Staple Serving Up Coconutty Vibes Across the World.”
Yield: serves 2
Time: 1 hours
Elements
For the jam (see headnote):
- ¾ cup unsweetened coconut cream
- ¼ cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp. palm sugar (1½ oz.)
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- 4 pandan leaves, tied into knots
- 4 giant egg yolks
For the toast:
- 4 slices white bread, toasted
- 2 Tbsp. chilly salted butter, minimize into ⅛-in.-thick pats
For the eggs:
- 2 giant eggs
- 1 tsp. gentle soy sauce
- Pinch white pepper
Directions
- Make the jam: Deliver a medium pot stuffed with 2 inches of water to a boil. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk collectively the coconut cream, sugar, palm sugar, and salt. Add the pandan leaves. Place the bowl on prime of the pot (guaranteeing the water doesn’t contact the underside of the bowl), flip the warmth to low, and prepare dinner, whisking continuously, till the sugar has dissolved, about 8 minutes. Flip off the warmth, and take away and discard the pandan leaves.
- In a small bowl, calmly beat the egg yolks. Whisking constantly, progressively pour in 1 cup of the coconut milk combination, then add the tempered yolk combination to the coconut combination on the range and whisk to mix. Flip the warmth to medium-low and prepare dinner, utilizing a silicone spatula to often scrape the perimeters of the bowl, till it has a pudding-like consistency, 12–quarter-hour. (If utilizing, add the pandan extract and stir to mix.) Take away the bowl from the pot, cowl the floor with plastic wrap, and refrigerate till prepared to make use of.
- Make the toast: Onto two of the bread slices, unfold 2 tablespoons of the kaya jam, then prime evenly with the butter, and sandwich with the remaining bread slices.
- Make the eggs: Deliver a medium pot stuffed with 4 inches of water to a boil. Take away from the warmth and use a slotted spoon to decrease the eggs into the water. Cowl and put aside for six minutes, then crack right into a small bowl.
- To serve, prime the eggs with the soy sauce and white pepper. Slice the kaya toast on the bias and serve scorching alongside the eggs for dipping.
