First attempt : Kaya

First attempt and a success

First attempts are always pretty daunting. There is the usual feeling of conflicting excitement.

Believe it or not, I picked and scheduled a date on my calendar so I won't avoid or slot in any last minute events. It is as if getting ready to go on a first date, except there is no exit strategy. Everything was planned out; searched and read through recipes ahead, picked one that's less intimidating, bought ingredients the day before and made sure the recipe has been well understood. All ingredients were laid out and measured before cooking commence so no ingredients will be missed out. Although I admit missing an ingredient on this first attempt. No 'pandan' leaves were to be found nearby so it was omitted.

With everything already well prepared, I followed the already simple recipe very closely. When it comes to step 5 (caramelising sugar), I panicked since there is usually a very high percentage of messing up. There is a chance the sugar will burn but it did not! So I proceed to adding the caramelised sugar into the mixture. The sugar somehow started solidifying and was stuck on the whisk. I panicked again! At that very moment, I thought all effort has been wasted. Luckily, being patient helped. It melts away with further stirring. The mixture became thicker after a an hour of stirring with 'The Apprentice' on iPlayer to keep me entertained. Everything turned out fine! It looked like kaya, smells like kaya and tastes like one too!!

I can proudly say my first attempt was a success. Although it does not taste as heavenly as I would like it to be, it still is delicious homemade kaya. It will definitely be much better with the aromatic pandan leaves. Will make sure to have that for the next attempt.

Guess what's my treat for this successful attempt :) Kaya and butter on toast with soft boiled eggs for breakfast!! MMmmm...

Generous amount of kaya and butter on toast

Kaya toast

The soft boiled eggs wasn't boiled long enough so it came out almost raw. For those of you who havent made soft boiled eggs, it is actually not easy to master. It has to have perfect timing for the runny egg yolk.

Kaya toast with soft boiled eggs for breakfast

Related post: Grilled peaches with vanilla ice cream and kaya honey drizzle