← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 120 g caster sugar
• 30 g gula melaka (palm sugar), grated (optional)
• 250 ml thick coconut milk or coconut cream
• 1 pinch Salt
• 4 Pandan leaves, tied in a knot
• 8 slices white sandwich bread
• 60 g Butter, cold, cut into thin slabs
• 8 eggs, at fridge temperature
• light soy sauce
• White pepper

Method

1. For the kaya, whisk the eggs, caster sugar and palm sugar (if using) in a heatproof bowl until the sugar has mostly dissolved, then strain to remove the stringy bits. Whisk in the coconut milk and salt and drop in the pandan knot.
2. Set the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Cook for 30–40 min, stirring and scraping the sides constantly with a spatula, until it thickens to a spreadable custard. Keep the heat low or the eggs will scramble.
3. Lift out the pandan. If the kaya looks grainy, blitz it smooth with a stick blender. Spoon into a clean jar; it thickens more as it cools and keeps for a week in the fridge.
4. For the eggs, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, turn off the heat and gently lower in the cold eggs. Cover and leave for 7 min, then lift them out.
5. Meanwhile, toast the bread until golden and crisp. Spread one slice thickly with kaya, lay slabs of cold butter on top, cover with a second slice and cut in half.
6. Crack the eggs into small bowls (the whites should be just set and the yolks runny), season with soy sauce and white pepper and dip the toast in as you eat.

Tips

• For a darker Hainanese-style kaya, melt 3 tbsp of the sugar to a deep amber caramel and whisk it into the coconut milk before adding to the eggs.
• The breakfast eggs are only lightly cooked, so use very fresh (ideally pasteurised) eggs, and cook them firmer for pregnant, young or elderly eaters.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Taste Asian Food Noob Cook Singaporean Malaysian Recipes