Kaya toast with half-cooked eggs and Hainanese coffee

"Kaya is a very sweet coconut jam, considered a staple throughout Singapore and parts of Malaysia. It is best served on unseeded whole meal toast with a soft boiled egg, and washed down with strong black coffee." Adam Liaw, Destination Flavour Singapore

• serves

  2

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Kaya 

• 10 eggs
• 1 kg caster sugar, plus 50 g extra
• 5 fresh pandan leaves, tied in a knot (see Note)
• 550 ml coconut cream
• 20 g unsalted butter

Half-cooked eggs

• 4 free-range eggs (at room temperature)
• dash of soy sauce
• pinch of ground white pepper

Toast

• 4 slices whole meal bread
• 4 slices unsalted butter,  (thick slices)
• pinch of sea salt

Kopi-O (Hainanese coffee)

• 2 tbsp dark-roasted freshly ground Hainanese-style coffee (such as Nanyang or Kim Guan Guan)
• 2 tsp sugar

Standing time 5 minutes

Instructions

To make the kaya, combine the eggs and 1 kg sugar in a tall, slender saucepan and whisk in one direction until smooth and runny.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a simmer over medium heat and place a tea towel on the bottom of the pan. Place the tall saucepan into the water and whisk for about 5 minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the pandan leaves and coconut cream and stir for 20-25 minutes or until thickened to the consistency of Hollandaise sauce or a loose lemon curd. Remove from the heat and set aside while you make the caramel, whisking occasionally. Heat the extra 50 g sugar in a small saucepan over low heat until a dark caramel forms. Stir the butter into the caramel, then whisk the caramel into the kaya. Return to the heat in the water bath and stir for about 5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat and stand until cool, stirring occasionally. Pour the kaya into sterilized jars and refrigerate.

To make the half-cooked eggs, bring a small saucepan of water to the boil and remove from the heat. Add 125 ml (½ cup) of cold water to the pan, then add the eggs. Cover the pan and allow to stand for 6 minutes. Crack the eggs into two bowls and add a dash of soy sauce and white pepper to each.

To make the toast, grill the bread until well-toasted. Cut off the crusts and cover with slices of butter. Spread generously with 1-2 tablespoons kaya, then cut in half.

To make the Hainanese coffee, bring about 500 ml (2 cups) water to a simmer in a small saucepan or coffee jug. Add the coffee, stir and continue to heat for about 20 seconds or until a raft of bubbles forms. Pour through a coffee filter, then stir in the sugar and serve with the kaya toast and half-cooked eggs. 

Note

• Fresh pandan leaves give the jam a slightly toasted, nutty flavour. Fresh leaves are readily available from Asian greengrocers.

• This recipe makes about 1 litre of kaya which will keep refrigerated in sterilized jars for 1-2 weeks.

Image by Adam Liaw.

Destination Flavour Singapore airs Thursdays at 8pm on SBS. Visit the program page for more details, recipes and guides.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.