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Singapore, Asia

Kaya Toast

Singapore's favourite breakfast: crisp toast sandwiching pandan coconut custard jam (kaya) and cold butter, with soft-boiled eggs seasoned with soy and white pepper.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time53 min
Cooling the kaya+ 30 min
DifficultyMedium
About servingsSoft-boiled eggs are not fully cooked. For young children, pregnant women, older people or anyone with weakened immunity, boil the eggs for 9 minutes until firm. Keep the kaya refrigerated and eat within 1 week.

Method

  1. Make the kaya (about 300 g; keeps 1 week in the fridge). Cut the pandan leaves into 2 cm pieces, blend with the coconut milk for 30 seconds and press through a fine sieve to get a pale green pandan coconut milk.

    Add in this stepPandan leaves (frozen is fine) 5Coconut milk 150 ml

  2. In a heatproof bowl, whisk the kaya eggs, sugar and salt for about 2 minutes until most of the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the pandan coconut milk, then strain once more to remove any stringy bits of egg.

    Add in this stepEggs (for the kaya) 2White sugar 100 gSalt 1 pinch

  3. Bring about 5 cm of water to the boil in a pot, turn it down to medium-low heat so it barely simmers, and set the bowl on top without its base touching the water. Stir with a silicone spatula for , scraping the bottom and sides every 1 to 2 minutes. It is done when thick like custard and a finger drawn through the kaya on the spatula leaves a clear line. Too much heat scrambles the eggs, so be patient. If lumps form, whisk hard to smooth them, then pour into a jar and cool; it thickens further as it cools.

    medium-low heat

  4. While the kaya cools, cook the eggs. Fill a 16 cm pot with enough water to cover the eggs by 2 cm, bring to a rolling boil on high heat, switch to heat off, gently lower in the room-temperature eggs with a ladle, cover and leave for . Singapore style means whites just set and milky, yolks runny.

    Add in this stepEggs at room temperature (for soft-boiling) 4

    high heat→heat off

  5. Toast the bread in a toaster or in a dry pan on medium heat for , both sides, until golden and crisp, two slices per pan in 2 rounds. Trim the crusts if you like.

    Add in this stepThin-sliced white bread 4

    medium heat

  6. Spread one warm slice thickly with kaya, lay thin 3 mm slabs of cold butter on top, close with a second slice and cut in half. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and season with soy sauce and white pepper. Locals dip the toast into the eggs.

    Add in this stepUnsalted butter, cold 30 gLight soy sauce 2 tspGround white pepper to taste

Cook's tip

Without pandan, use ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; nice, but a different aroma. The butter must be cold: the contrast of warm toast and unmelted butter is the whole point. Eggs straight from the fridge need 1 minute longer.

Cooking it at camp

Make the kaya at home and carry it in a jar in the cooler. At camp, toast the bread on a grill or in a pan, and soft-boil the eggs the same way with water boiled on the burner. Keep the cold butter deep in the cooler.