Kaya Toast
Thin white toast spread with cold butter and a thick layer of slow-cooked coconut-pandan custard jam, served alongside very soft-boiled eggs seasoned with dark soy sauce and white pepper for dipping. Developed during the colonial-era Straits Settlements by Hainanese Chinese immigrants who adapted British jam-and-toast using local coconut milk, eggs, and pandan, becoming the defining breakfast of Singapore and Malaysia's kopitiam coffee-shop culture.
Vegetarian
⚠ Contains: Egg, Dairy, Gluten, Soy. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 6 eggs, for the kaya
- 250ml coconut milk
- 180g sugar
- 4-5 pandan leaves, tied in a knot
- Pinch of salt
- 8 slices thin white bread
- 60g cold salted butter, sliced
- 8 eggs, for soft-boiling
- Dark soy sauce and white pepper, to taste
Steps
- Whisk the eggs, coconut milk, sugar, and salt together, then strain into a heatproof bowl with the pandan leaves.
- Set over a double boiler and cook, stirring constantly, for 45-60 minutes until thickened to a glossy jam consistency. Remove the pandan leaves, then cool and refrigerate.
- For the soft-boiled eggs, lower eggs gently into water just off the boil, cover, and let sit off-heat for 5-6 minutes. Crack into small bowls and season with a dash of dark soy sauce and white pepper.
- Toast the bread slices until crisp and lightly charred at the edges.
- Spread one slice with a thick layer of cold butter, top with a generous layer of kaya, and sandwich with a second slice. Cut into strips.
- Serve immediately alongside the seasoned soft-boiled eggs for dipping.