Coconut jam, also known as kaya jam or simply kaya, is a sweet spread made from a base of

coconut milk Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ...

, eggs and sugar. It is popular throughout

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore

The word for coconut jam in the

Malay language Malay (; ms, Bahasa Melayu, links=no, Jawi: , Rencong: ) is an Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and that is also spoken in East Timor and parts of the Philippines an ...

, kaya, means rich, referencing the texture of the popular food. For Malaysians, Indonesians and Singaporeans, kaya, also called srikaya (coconut egg jam), is a sweet creamy coconut spread made from

(locally known as santan) and

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...

or chicken eggs (which are flavored with pandan leaf and sweetened with sugar). The resulting color varies depending on the color of the egg yolks, the amount of pandan, and the extent of the caramelization of the sugar. As a popular local spread, kaya is typically spread on toast to make kaya toast and eaten in the morning, but is also enjoyed throughout the day. Kaya can be found in most kopitiam and night markets. Different varieties available include the

nyonya The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, ...

kaya, which is of a lighter-green color, and Hainanese kaya, which is of a darker brown and uses caramelized sugar, and is often further sweetened with honey. In Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, kaya is also used as a topping for several desserts including '' pulut taitai'' or ''pulut tekan'', a dessert of sweet

glutinous rice Glutinous rice ('' Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amyl ...

colored blue with butterfly pea flowers (''bunga telang''), and ''pulut seri muka'', a similar dessert but colored green due to adding pandan leaves. It is also used with

to make '' kuih seri kaya''.

Philippines

Philippine coconut jam is known as matamís sa báo (also matamís na báo or minatamís na báo, among other names). The names literally mean "sweetened coconut". It is different from other Southeast Asian versions in that it uses coconut cream (''kakang gata'', the first and second press of grated coconut meat) and cane sugar extract or

molasses Molasses () is a viscous substance resulting from refining sugarcane or sugar beets into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, method of extraction and age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is primarily used to sweeten and flavour foods ...

(treacle). It also does not use eggs and thus is more like syrup rather than

custard Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in consistency fr ...

. It is often eaten on toast or pandesal or used as a filling for pan de coco. When it is mixed with ground glutinous rice paste, it becomes a popular dessert known as kalamay. A less viscous version made with

(''gata'') is known as '' latik'' (anglicized as "coconut caramel"), and is used in place of syrup in numerous native Filipino desserts.

Thailand

The kaya of Thailand is called sangkhaya ( th, สังขยา, ) in Thai. There are two major types of kaya eaten in Thailand. One type is more liquid than the other, while the less thick kaya is similar to what is eaten in Malaysia and Indonesia. People either spread it on steamed or toasted bread or dip the bread into kaya. This kind of kaya is commonly sold by street vendors but has recently been brought into tea and coffee shops. Another type is a concoction that has a less sticky and more custard-like texture. It is sometimes called "coconut custard" in English and is used to make '' sangkhaya fakthong'' (, ; ''sangkhaya maryu'' in Lao), sangkhaya

pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...

or custard pumpkin, '' khao niao sangkhaya'' (, ),

topped with sangkhaya, and ''sangkhaya maphrao'' (, ), sangkhaya served in a coconut.

References

External links

Famous Thai Dishes
including photos of Thai ''sangkhaya'' desserts
Not your usual kaya
with three recipes made with palm sugar, pumpkin and taro {{Thai cuisine Jams and jellies Bruneian cuisine Indonesian cuisine Malaysian cuisine Philippine cuisine Singaporean cuisine Thai cuisine Malay cuisine Foods containing coconut Custard desserts Dips (food)

Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore

Philippines

Thailand

See also

References

External links