Coconut jam
A sweet Southeast Asian spread made from coconut milk and eggs.
Coconut jam, also called kaya or kaya jam, is a sweet spread whose main ingredients are coconut milk, eggs, and sugar, sometimes flavored with pandan leaves. It is widely eaten across Southeast Asia.
There are different ideas about where kaya came from. Some think it is a Eurasian jam, unique to Singapore and Malaysia, that was adapted from a Portuguese egg jam. Others believe Hainanese immigrants created kaya toast by changing a dish they had made while working on British ships during the Straits Settlements period. In Thailand, a similar spread is called sangkhaya, while in the Philippines, an eggless version made from coconut cream and sugar is known as matamís sa báo. The spread’s popularity across these areas has led to many local versions and flavors.
In Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, the Malay word *kaya* means “rich,” referring to the spread’s texture. It is also called srikaya. This version has a creamy texture and is made from coconut milk (santan), duck or chicken eggs, pandan leaves, and sugar. Its color depends on the egg yolks, the amount of pandan, and how much the sugar is caramelized. Kaya is commonly spread on toast for kaya toast, eaten in the morning or throughout the day, and sold in most kopitiam and night markets. There are different types: nyonya kaya is light green, while Hainanese kaya is darker brown, uses caramelized sugar, and is often sweetened with honey. Kaya is also used as a topping for desserts like pulut taitai or pulut tekan (blue glutinous rice with butterfly pea flowers) and pulut seri muka (green glutinous rice with pandan), as well as in kuih seri kaya with glutinous rice.
In the Philippines, coconut jam is called matamís sa báo (or matamís na báo, minatamís na báo), meaning “sweetened coconut.” It differs from other Southeast Asian versions because it uses coconut cream (kakang gatâ) and cane sugar extract, molasses, or treacle, and no eggs, giving it a syrup-like rather than custard-like consistency. It is often spread on toast or pandesal, or used as a filling for pan de coco. Mixed with ground glutinous rice paste, it becomes the dessert kalamay. A thinner version made with coconut milk (gatâ) is called latík (coconut caramel) and is used as syrup in many Filipino desserts.
In Thailand, kaya is called sangkhaya. There are two main types.
Quick Facts
- Region
- Malaysia & Singapore
- National Cuisine
- Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines, and Thailand, Samoa
- Creator
- Portuguese diaspora in Malay World
- Main Ingredient
- Coconut, sugar, eggs
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, kaya has a creamy texture made from coconut milk and duck or chicken eggs, flavored with pandan leaves 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. Different varieties include nyonya kaya, which is of a lighter-green color, and Hainanese kaya, which is of a darker brown and uses caramelized sugar, often further sweetened with honey. Kaya is typically spread on toast to make kaya toast and eaten in the morning, but is also enjoyed throughout the day, and can be found in most kopitiam and night markets.
Reader's Guide
Coconut jam is a versatile and beloved component of Southeast Asian cuisine, with widespread popularity across the region leading to various adaptations and flavors. In the Philippines, the eggless version matamís sa báo uses coconut cream and cane sugar extract or molasses, resulting in a syrup-like consistency often eaten on toast or pandesal. In Thailand, sangkhaya has two major types: one more liquid, similar to that eaten in Malaysia and Indonesia, and another with a less sticky, more custard-like texture used in desserts such as sangkhaya pumpkin and glutinous rice topped with sangkhaya. In Samoa, siamu popo is made without eggs, using caramelised sugar and citrus leaves, and has a consistency resembling a mixture of syrup and caramel, often used as a spread on toast or as a filling for a doughnut called a german bun. The spread's many forms—from creamy custard to syrupy jam—demonstrate its adaptability across cultures and cuisines.
Did You Know?
- The word 'kaya' in Malay means 'rich', referencing the texture of the food.
- In the Philippines, matamís sa báo does not use eggs and is more like syrup than custard.
- In Thailand, one type of sangkhaya is used to make sangkhaya fakthong, a pumpkin custard.
- In Samoa, siamu popo is often used as a filling for a doughnut called a german bun.
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