Seri Kaya

On my recent grocery trip to Denver last Sunday, I bought a can of Yeo's Kaya at Viet Hoa Supermarket for $2.28. It was rather cheap. I just bought one because I wanted to try it out first. Well, back home, I never bought any Kaya except for Gardenier's Aunt Rosie Kaya. Who want to eat a Kaya from a can where you can buy a better one? Even Aqil was asking me why don't I buy the one like I used to. So, I told him those are not available here. When I opened up the can, the color of the Kaya looks too bright but hey, you don't have a choice right? The taste are nice and it turned out that the boys loves the Kaya so much that they finished the whole can in a week. Aqif can eat up bread with Kaya up to 7 slices a day, ok?

So, the boys loves the Kaya and I ran out of it. I don't want to go to Denver just to buy a Kaya and so I was thinking hard to make the Kaya on my own. I never made a Kaya before. Heck, you can even count how many times I cooked in a year before and now, making my own Kaya? Isn't it too ambitious? So, today after lunch, I was so sleepy for over-eating ( I made Sambal Sotong and Ayam Goreng Berempah), I was trying hard not to sleep and so I said to myself, hey, let's try make the Kaya! So, I quickly browse for the recipe and try to find the easiest one.

I found one from Mak Lang. I think she had posted the recipe in Cari forum. I modified it to suit my taste and my degree of laziness and the availability in my kitchen. This is the original recipe:

1 cup of sugar + 3 egss (beaten until mixed well).....(1)
1.5 cup coconut milk....(2)
2 tbs corn starch.....(3)
1 cup of sugar + 1 cup of water (caramelized)...(4)

All the ingredients have to be mixed in order based on its number and cooked on a low heat until boil.

This is how I do it:

The recipe requested for gula hangus (caramelized sugar). Now, how on earth do I know how to caramelized the sugar? When I cooked it, it became granulated and I just don't know when it's going to melt and all I know is we are not supposed to let the sugar burn so I cooked it in a medium heat and started to curse myself for all the troubles just to make the Kaya. I could just let the boys eat the bread with jam and butter. So, after consider it might be a disaster anyway so I just pour in the water into the granulated sugar just like you make air gula. The color of course is clear brown and I keep on stir it until all the granulated sugar melt. Then, I let it cool on stove.

Next, I beaten the eggs and the sugar. Ohh, I did not measured the sugar correctly, well my style of cooking is always based on my own pleasure. So, I just used whatever amount I think is equivalent to a cup of sugar. Reason is, I am too lazy to take a cup and take a ladle and then spoon the sugar in a cup to make sure it is a cup of sugar. Anyway, so the eggs was beaten.

Then, I just mixed the Adabi Instant Coconut Milk (the small packet) mixed it with some warm water, also not measured accordingly and stir it well. Well, just use your common sense.

Now the cooking, in a pot (make sure the heat is set to low-med), pour in the beaten eggs and sugar, then in goes the coconut milk, next, quickly mixed wheat flour with some warm water and pour it in the pot, ( I don't have corn flour), after that sieve the caramelized sugar liquid and pour it in the pot. Stir well on the medium heat until it thickens. My mixture was too watery that I thought I just failed it but I keep on stirring the mixture. Now, because of my laziness for not measured the sugar, my mixture was too sweet I had to add another helpful of wheat flour into the pot to reduced the sweetness. It took me almost an hour to get something that looks similarly to a Kaya.

Well, I did it at last. I am so surprised and so pleased too. Here's the look. Finally, it worth the time and the trouble to make your own homemade Kaya. It is free from any artificial coloring or artificial flavor. Except, maybe from the Adabi Instant Coconut Milk but it tastes good. I gave Aqil a try and he loves it. So, I hope the supply will last for another 2 weeks or longer.