Pandan-Infused Egg Custard Jam
My best friend Angele, whose mother is from Malacca, learnt a while back that Malaysian
kaya is golden while the Singapore version is green. The golden tinge derives from adding
a dose of caramelised sugar while the green could stem from the egg yolks or pandan
essence. The home-made kaya I grew up with was green and custardy. Kaya—bought in
stores or served in chain cafes—is nowadays often golden and runny. Those of the older
generation also remember kopi tiam kaya (served in coffee shops) made of duck eggs
instead of chicken eggs. It was a cheaper ingredient. The kopi tiam kaya was also runnier so
that it could be spread faster and allow for quicker service. Hence the origins of runny jam.
makes 12 servings
10 eggs, room temperature
(allows for sugar to dissolve
more quickly)
3 cups sugar
¾ cups thick coconut cream
4 pandan leaves, tied into a knot
1. Add water in a saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil.
Break the eggs into a heatproof bowl that sits nicely on the
saucepan and whisk. Add sugar a little at a time and continue
to whisk to dissolve sugar. Stir in the thick coconut cream.
Stir continuously until the mixture thickens.
2. Add the knotted pandan leaves to the mixture.
3. Place a metal stand in a large or Dutch oven pot. Fill the
pot with cold water, almost up to the height of the stand.
Bring to a gentle boil. Wrap the lid with a kitchen towel to
absorb water condensation droplets which may fall on the
kaya jam and impact the texture. Place the heatproof bowl
of kaya mixture onto the metal stand.
4. Whisk or stir mixture often for the next quarter to half
an hour to break up any clumps. At this point, skim the top
of the mixture with a slotted spoon to remove lumps.
5. When the mixture begins to thicken, cover and simmer
for another half an hour to an hour. Replenish more hot
water to the pot if necessary.
6. Turn off the heat when the jam mixture becomes
firmer. Do not overcook or the jam will have a knobby
texture. Leave the jam to cool completely before storing
in an air-tight container. Discard the pandan leaves.
Refrigerate the jam if you wish to keep it for a few weeks.
For Step 1, it is important to stir and use a gentle heat to ensure
that the eggs do not cook into scrambled eggs, hence the need to use the
double boiler method.
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