Popular Malaysian coconut jam finds its place in Chennai

“Lockdown has brought all the fond memories when mom had made her authentic kaya again. I was planning to start a venture and thought why not a venture that sells homemade kaya. That’s how Truly Kaya was born. My passion for authentic cooking gave me the drive to bring a taste of Malaysia’s delectable kaya coconut spread to namma Chennai,” says Dhasha. 

Speaking about the origin of kaya spread in South East Asian countries, the home chef explains, “Kaya is credited to the Hainanese pioneers who settled in Malaysia and Singapore from Hainan Island in the last 1800s. Many Hainanese worked on British ships as kitchen hands. When they settled in the straits settlement, they started selling the foods which they prepared for the British, including coffee and French toast to the local population. They replaced the Western jams and mayonnaise cream favoured by the British with native coconut spread and their unique brew of coffee. Kaya was the fast food in those days, especially when there is a need to cater a fast lunch for the labourers working at the dockyards.” 

Initially, she was quite skeptical of how people in the city welcome the dish. “I was thinking how will I explain eggs in a jam! But after a few weeks, people started appreciating the dish. I was truly thrilled and surprised by all the love and support I’ve been getting from Chennaiites. Now that a lot of us travel so frequently to Malaysia and Singapore, kaya spread is something that most have tried during their travel. Many are also completely new to kaya spread and trying for the first time have thoroughly enjoyed the flavours too,” she smiles. 

Truly Kaya has three varieties — classic kaya, vegan kaya and newly launched pandan green kaya. Classic version is made from coconut milk, caramelised sugar and eggs. “The vegan kaya spread is made of pumpkin, coconut milk and naatu sakkarai (country sugar). Pandan green kaya is made from pandan leaf extract. I managed to source pandan leaves from Chennai itself. In the future, I am thinking of sugar-free options as well,” she sums up.