Homemade Kaya by Mom

Hubby's sister was asking me whether my mom knows how to make kaya. That's goes without saying. Mom knows how to make kaya and has been making since my primary school days. I recalled seeing her making the kaya by using a slow cooker. Apparently she did but it wasn't the most recommended method. When mom was down here with me in KL, I asked her to show me how to make kaya. Afterall, it has been like donkey years since I last ate the kaya made by her. She actually needed a double boiler to make it but like I said in my previous post, I don't have one at home. We put a glass bowl in a huge pot filled with simmering water and cooked the kaya in very slow fire for over an hour.

It is rather easy to make kaya. All you need is a little patience because there was a lot of constant stirring and that means you gotta stand to accomplish the task. As simple as the recipe is, I just cannot recall the exact measurement my mom used. I shall post it in the next 1 or 2 days. Gotta call my mom in Singapore tomorrow to get the recipe :)  Meantime, just hang it there .

I've just got the recipe from my mom. Here you go...

Ingredients A:

1 fresh coconut milk (fit into one chinese bowl)

4 eggs

300g castor sugar

5-6 pieces of pandan leaves, knotted

Ingredients B:

5 tbsp castor sugar

1 tbsp water (or enough water to 'wet' the sugar)

Method :

1. In a pot, mix in Ingredients A. Stir them well until sugar dissolved.
2. Cook this over low fire in a double boiler. If you don't have one, put the glass bowl (with ingredients A) and place them in a pot filled with water).
3. Keep stirring every now and then until mixture reaches a smooth consistency. This will take about an hour. Mixture will also thicken.
4. In another pot, pour in Ingredients B and cook over very very low fire. Ensure it's either 1 tbsp water or just enough water to wet the sugar. You may omit water entirely BUT it will be slightly tough to cook just sugar without a single drop of water. Mixture will turn brown. Turn off fire.
5. Pour the brown sugar mixture into the thickened coconut mixture and stir for another 10 - 20 mins.
6. Turn off fire and kaya is done.

My cooking tips :

• You may substitute the eggs with duck eggs instead which will give a smooth texture to the kaya. The downside is duck eggs have higher cholestrol.
• Before stiring in the brown sugar mixture, you may want to remove the pandan leaves from the coconut mixture. This way, it may be easier to stir in the brown sugar mixture.