Quick Coconut Jam (Kaya)

Author Notes

Kaya is to Malaysia what peanut butter and jam is to America. It’s a deep, dark coconut jam, that has turned into our favorite breakfast condiment, slathered over toast, used to flavor desserts, and sometimes (if you’re feeling cheeky) eaten by the spoonful on its own.

Growing up in Malaysia, I was brought up with the knowledge that making kaya is a laborious affair that takes hours of slowly stirring and simmering coconut milk, sugar, and eggs over the stovetop to turn it thick and slick. It’s known to be a real labour of love made by chefs and homecooks across the region.

But recently I found out that you can kaya in 10 minutes! I first saw this technique from Marvellina from the What to Cook Today food blog, where she quickens the process with a few smart switchups. Instead of coconut milk she uses coconut cream, and in palace of the eggs she uses pure egg yolks. Both substitutions serve to reduce the liquid content of the kaya from the start, making it much quicker to cook and come to the right consistency. It sounds simple, but it is a game-changer!

Kaya purists might say that the technique isn't traditional or 'authentic', but if it can get me a luxuriously smooth and silky kaya, why not? In fact, I'm willing to bet, unless you're a kaya savant, if you tasted this you wouldn't be able to tell it's a 'cheat kaya'!
—Jun