Sarah Cooks: Malaysian

Bread

Kaya. THE iconic Malaysian sweet treat. Coconut, eggs and sugar, flavoured with fresh pandan and slowly cooked until thick and luscious. Enjoy it on toast with butter, on crackers, or straight from the jar. The best part is that this recipe is super quick and easy compared to the traditional versions - all done in less than an hour.

Kaya

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So, I am obviously obsessed with kaya right now. I've always loved kaya (I am Malaysian after all), but in the last few months, the obsession really turned up a notch.

On our most recent trip to Penang in April, we went on a bit of a kaya toast bender, trying a whole bunch of different toast places over the five nights we were there.
After fifteen years of friendship, I realised that Paris foodie and lover of sweets, Clarice, had never tried kaya! So on the way to Europe on our last trip in September, I picked up a jar of kaya in Singapore airport to bring as a gift to her... only to leave it on the plane. D'oh!
Shortly after I left Paris, Clarice sent me a message saying that a local cafe, The Hood, had started serving kaya toast (on baguette, cute) with half-boiled eggs, so that she could try it!
She also texted me asking what the etiquette was: "Do I spread jam on the bread then dip it in egg?" I obviously responded, (some dip, I don't), but rather than just leaving it there, I also took the opportunity to send her ten photos of different kaya toasts and eggs that I'd had in Malaysia and Singapore over the years with long descriptions. (Even I don't understand myself sometimes).
Seeing as I'd already gathered a bunch of photos, I decided to start a little series on Instagram "A Kaya Toast A Day", sharing different kaya toasts I've enjoyed over the years. Kinda like a kaya-themed advent calendar.
I noticed kaya gaining traction in western cafes (apart from The Hood in Paris, there's also been Ottolenghi's Nopi in London, even my beloved Beatrix Bakes!)
It really was time for me to make my own kaya! Over a few weeks, I made a couple of batches using different recipes, and landed on this one below as my ideal kaya.

Kaya

The traditional kaya recipes, made by amahs back in the day, are notoriously labour intensive. They involve stirring. And stirring. And stirring. All day long. Eep. My uncle in Penang devised a less labour intensive method using a bain marie in the oven for the second half of cooking, but it still takes four hours from start to finish. (In fact, his "simplified" version is so laborious that he only does it in huge batches, 30 eggs and a litre of coconut milk at a time). I love kaya, but I do not have the energy for that!

These days, it seems most people use a shortcut recipe - mixing together eggs (sometimes whole eggs, sometimes just yolks), with white sugar, coconut milk / cream and pandan extract, then cooking it over a double boiler until thickened. (This method is similar to a crème anglaise, for those of you familiar with western cooking).

There are essentially two versions of kaya - plain pandan (which is a green colour), or kaya with a little caramelized sugar added (which goes a deep brown colour). I believe the addition of caramelised sugar to kaya is a hack to emulate the caramelisation that usually comes from the long slow cooking in the traditional method.

I tried two recipes, both shortcut method. The first one I tried was a caramel version, from my friend Charmaine's blog Wok & Skillet. It was a really good and easy recipe, but I personally found that the caramel flavour overwhelmed the pandan and coconut, and it was all that I could taste. (However, if you enjoy a deep caramel flavour, have at it!)

Caramel kaya

I much prefer a version without the caramelised sugar, as it allows the gentle pandan and coconut flavours to shine. After much research and comparisons, I used a recipe from Nyonya Cooking, which has the virtues of being simple and easy, and uses all whole eggs rather than just yolks. You'll see it's a muted green colour, more of a khaki than that lurid green you see in some pandan flavoured baked goods. I like the au naturel colour, but you could always add some green colouring if you want to emphasise the pandan! (No judgement from me).

Kaya

So, after that loooong introduction, let's talk about this kaya recipe in a bit more detail! You start by making some pandan extract - just whizz up some pandan leaves with water, then strain in a sieve. (I can find pandan leaves at Asian grocers - sometimes fresh leaves, more often in big packets in the freezer). I LOVE the fragrance!

Pandan juice

Then after that it's very easy - mix the pandan extract with eggs, tinned coconut milk, and white sugar, then cook in a double boiler, stirring all the while, until thickened. Some recipes say this takes ten minutes; I find it always takes longer, like thirty to forty minutes. Having said that, I do prefer a thicker kaya so am happy to keep going for a bit longer. And perhaps I'm a little timorous with the heat - still scarred from the great "custard curdling incident" of 2005.

Kaya

Let the kaya cool, then store in a sterilised jar! (I never properly sterilise jars, but just wash them in the dishwasher and let them steam dry before using. If you want to sterilise properly, there are hundreds of guides online). I've found that the kaya lasts for a couple of weeks in the fridge. (Always use clean and dry utensils to prevent it from going mouldy).

Ok and now that you know how to make kaya, here are some ideas on how to eat it! The traditional way is the simple kaya toast with half-boiled eggs.

Kaya toast with half boiled egg

Toast some white bread, slather with lots of butter and kaya and make a little sandwich. Cook some eggs, and add some soy sauce and white pepper. The quintessential Malaysian breakfast! (PS in parallel with my kaya adventures, I've been trying to learn how to make half-boiled eggs, and failing miserably. They always ended up over cooked, under cooked, or unevenly cooked, blaaaah. Well, my lovely wife got sick of me complaining about it and surprised me with a Malaysian half-boiled egg maker! It's a simple device - you put your eggs in the top, pour boiling water over, and once the water drips off, the eggs are perfectly half-boiled, creamy and runny and soft. It works really well. Yay!)

One of my favourite ways to eat kaya is spread between Ritz crackers. The salty sweet vibe is my jam!

Kaya with Ritz Cracker

And lastly, I went a bit OTT with this batch of kaya, and made some coconut and kaya scrolls for a brunch party the other week. They were awesome! I'll share the recipe for these soon.

Kaya and Coconut Scrolls

In the meantime, here's the kaya recipe! I hope you love it as much as I do!

Kaya
Recipe adapted from Nyonya Cooking

Ingredients
7 pandan leaves
50 millilitres water
5 eggs
150-200 grams sugar
250 millilitres coconut milk

Method
Roughly chop the pandan leaves and place in a small bowl with the water. Blend with a stick blender to a rough paste. Sieve the pandan leaves to make the pandan extract, pressing down with a spatula to extract the maximum green goodness.
Whisk together the eggs, sugar and coconut milk in a heatproof bowl. Whisk in the pandan extract.
Fill a saucepan with an inch or so of water, and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Place the bowl over the saucepan. (Make sure the bowl fits snugly in the saucepan, and make sure that the water itself doesn't touch the base of the bowl).
Whisk the mixture over the heat until thickened. Many recipes say this takes 10 minutes; I find it always takes at least 30-40 minutes.
Allow to cool completely, then pour into a sterilized jar. Keep refrigerated.
It should last 1-2 weeks.

Have you made this recipe? Leave a comment below! Tag me on Instagram @sarahcooksblog and hashtag #sarahcooksblog

Bars

24 Hours in Kuala Lumpur

6/09/2019 08:50:00 PM

Malaysian

Sago Pudding Gula Melaka

4/09/2019 05:13:00 PM

Sago pudding gula melaka. A classic Malaysian dessert of sago pearls, topped with pandan-scented palm sugar syrup and rich coconut cream. It's so easy to make and tastes so wonderful!

Sago Gula Melaka

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I've eaten a lot of gula melaka growing up, but it never struck me as something to make at home. It's a common dessert to bring to potlucks (because it's easy, needs to be made in advance, and travels well), so I'd eaten it at those types of gatherings, and my parents often ordered it at different cafes when we were in Malaysia on holidays. In slightly more recent times, Sandra's enjoyed sago puddings with my family and at Malaysian restaurants here in Australia, and also when her and I have travelled to Malaysia together.

In even more recent times (that is, in the last couple of months), Sandra's been craving it. Well, I thought I'd better learn how to make it! I've made it a couple of times this year, and it's so easy and so good! I can't believe I've waited so long.

Let's look at the ingredients. For Aussies, most of these can easily be purchased at an Asian grocer.

Sago, coconut cream, pandan, palm sugar

Coconut cream. Coconut milk is traditional, but I've made this with both coconut milk and coconut cream, but much prefer the richness of coconut cream. Very indulgent!

Pandan leaves. The taste of south east Asia! The fragrance of pandan immediately transports me back to Malaysia. I keep pandan leaves in the freezer - you buy them in small bunches at the Asian grocer, and I only ever need to use one or two leaves at a time.

Gula melaka. AKA palm sugar! I'm pretty sure this is the key part of the dessert - because in Malaysia you can just refer to the whole dessert as Gula Melaka. Here's an example my dad said recently: "The gula melaka at the E&O Hotel Cafe in Penang is very good, and their lunch buffet has a senior citizen discount!" I used jaggery this time, because I have a big container of it in the pantry, gifted to Sandra and I by a Sri Lankan coworker. I think gula melaka and jaggery are technically different, but they're both a type of palm sugar and have a wonderful caramel flavour.

Sago pearls. There are different types of sago available - the one I use for sago pudding is made from the pith of a sago palm, but confusingly, you can also buy "sago" pearls made from tapioca that look EXACTLY THE SAME. I know they're similar, but I haven't cooked with the tapioca version, so can't give instructions on those. But for sago sago, you boil them until the little pearls turn clear! The key thing is to make sure the water is at a rolling boil before adding the sago, otherwise the whole thing will just solidify into a big gluey lump that's impossible to clean. (I learned this from experience).

Anyhoo, here's what they properly cooked sago pearls look like!

Cooked sago

From here you divide the pearls into little containers, and refrigerate overnight. The little pearls stick together and form a pudding. Sago is deceptively filling, so you only need a small amount - a teacup, small ramekin or small bowl is about the right size. I like doing them in individual servings, but you could also make a big batch and set it in a jelly mould or cake tin, and cut individual slices like a cake.

So, with the sago prepared you can do the coconut and the gula melaka. For the coconut cream (or milk), you just heat it up in a pot with a pinch of salt. For the gula melaka, you chop it up and melt it with some water and the pandan leaves. Both the coconut and the gula melaka can be made in advance and can be served hot or cold.

Sago puddings

That's it! Place all the elements out and let people go to town!

Sago puddings

Sago itself is quite bland. Basically what we've got here is a chewy pudding vehicle for the coconut cream and the palm sugar.

Coconut cream

Heck yes!

Sago Gula Melaka

I hope you enjoy these!

Sago Pudding Gula Melaka

Sarah's version of a classic Malaysian recipe

Ingredients

1/4 cup sago pearls (made of sago flour, not tapioca)

200 millilitres coconut milk or cream

Pinch of salt

70 grams palm sugar, roughly chopped

1 pandan leaf

Method

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over a high heat. Once boiling, add the sago pearls and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes, or until the pearls are translucent. Drain in a sieve and rinse under cold water.

Line four containers with clingfilm (a small bowl, ramekin or teacup would be about right) and divide the sago between the containers. Press down gently, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

Heat the coconut milk or cream with a pinch of salt over a low heat until it comes to a simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside. (You can serve the coconut milk hot or cold).

In a separate saucepan, melt the palm sugar with 2 tablespoons of water. Add the pandan leaf and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat and set aside. Allow to cool, then remove the pandan leaf and discard. (You can serve the sugar syrup hot or cool).

All three elements can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge. If the sugar syrup solidifies or gets too thick, simply reheat it on the stove.

To serve, unmould the puddings and place on a shallow plate. Place the coconut milk and the sugar syrup in two small jugs and allow people to add as much as they like.

Makes 4 servings