my comfort food...

I usually make a conscientious effort to avoid or reduce the usage of eggs in my bake. But today.... After seeing a cooking demo (by the wok promotor at a department store), I couldn't get the aromatic custard out of my head.

I lied on bed, tossed and turned, urned and tossed. Past 1am, I succumbed. Got out of the bed, and wandered into the kitchen.

I knew I had to make this tonight. The humble kaya.

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Traditional Kaya (Coconut Jam)

3 Eggs
200ml coconut milk (I use Kara for convenience)
5 tbsp sugar ( i used brown sugar)
Juice from pounded pandan leaves (I omit)

1. Mix egg and sugar together, stir/beat until the sugar dissolved.


2. Add coconut milk and mix well.


3. Heat up the non-stick pot on low heat. Add 3 tbsp (in addition to the 5 tbsp) of sugar to the pot. When the sugar start to brown, stir slightly and pour in the coconut mixture. Continue stirring (important) until it thickens.


4. The custard will thicken further when it cool, so if you like it to be more spreadable, off the fire when it is just begining to thick. I can't put an exact the timing... trial and error lor.


5. When done, off fire and leave it to cool. Store cooled kaya in a clean jar - will keep well in room temperature for 1 week (mine never last beyond that so I am not sure if 1 week is the absolute shelf life). This custard is not difficult to prepare, so it make sense to make small batches so that the family can enjoy fresh, addditive/preservative-free kaya all week long!!!

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When the kaya was ready, I rummaged my freezer for bread. I must have slapped on about half of this portion on a sitting.

The warm kaya warmed my stomach and my heart, bringing me back to the childhood days where my mum will make her own kaya. All her 5 kids were so gluttony that we all ate the kaya right out of the hot pot... that she was left with nothing to bottle...

Now you see why I was sleepless at 3am