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The Sandwich 100 · make it at home

Kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs

1 hr (mostly stirring the kaya) · 4 sets (and a jar of kaya)

Singapore's breakfast: thin crisp toast sandwiching coconut-pandan jam (kaya) and a slab of cold butter, with two barely set eggs seasoned with soy and white pepper, and strong kopi.

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The real one

You need

• For the kaya: 4 eggs, 150 g (3/4 cup) sugar (part palm sugar if you have it), 250 ml (1 cup) coconut milk, 4 pandan leaves, knotted (or 1/2 tsp pandan extract), a pinch of salt
• 8 thin slices white bread
• Cold salted butter, cut in thin slabs
• 8 eggs at room temperature
• Dark soy sauce and white pepper

How to make it

1. Make the kaya (40 min): Whisk the eggs and sugar until the sugar dissolves, then whisk in the coconut milk and salt and strain into a heatproof bowl. Add the pandan. Set the bowl over barely simmering water and stir constantly with a spatula until it thickens like custard, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the pandan and cool; it thickens more as it cools.
2. Soft-boil the eggs (8 min): Bring a pot of water to a boil, turn off the heat, lower in the eggs and cover for 7 minutes. Lift out.
3. Toast (5 min): Toast the bread until crisp (Ya Kun grills it over charcoal). Thin bread can be split in half horizontally after toasting for extra crunch.
4. Build (2 min): Spread kaya thickly on one slice, lay a slab of cold butter on top and close. Cut into fingers.
5. Serve: Crack two eggs into a small bowl, add a few drops of dark soy and white pepper, and dip the toast in the eggs.

Tips

• Stir constantly and keep the water barely simmering or the kaya will curdle; if it does, blend it smooth.
• Kaya keeps 1 week in the fridge.

Chef Amazing's own home version, in our words; not any shop's recipe.