Kaya: Spread of Wonder, Spread of Delight

It occurs to me that I really haven't given the food here the credit it is due. I will now give just one tiny portion of Singaporean food the praise it deserved.

Most mornings, I've been eating the "breakfast set" at the canteen by my dorms. For a mere S$1.50, I get 2 soft-boiled eggs, hot tea, and a sandwich made with butter and kaya. Now, what is kaya, you may ask, that it deserves this post's title?

It may help to tell you that kaya is a malay word, and most of us English-speaking people would call the spread coconut butter, instead. It is made of coconut milk, eggs, pandan leaf, and sugar. It ranges from brown to green, but whatever its color, it brings sheer delight to the taster. Imagine if honey were more of a creamy paste flavored lightly of coconut, and you may be getting close to the idea of kaya, though nothing short of the actual experience of kaya can fully describe it.

Kaya and butter sandwiches are so good that I do not even regret not being able to eat a bagel with nutella in the morning, as I did over the summer.

You can see pictures and find out more about kaya here, including how to make it yourself, if you'd like. I hope that each morning you wake to a delightful breakfast!