hong kong-style french toast with kaya

a kaya stuffed, shallow fried, condensed milk drizzled, toasted coconut sprinkled breakfast/snack/dessert for the ages

i’ve never been to hong kong. i’ve eaten various foods inspired by the city (mainly from the diners called cha chaan teng), from french toast (obviously) to egg sandwiches to macaroni soup — most often coming straight out of my own kitchen via recipes from chef lucas sin. the french toast always captivated me. the boxy golden fried pillow of lightly egg-ed bread stuffed with peanut butter, drizzled with glossy condensed milk and finished with a generous pat of butter almost looks like it walked straight out of a miyazaki film; the aesthetic is so pleasing!

my goal with this recipe was to keep the visuals i love so much and take the flavors in a slightly more delicate direction; a perfect version for *me* that didn’t *feel* so overwhelmingly rich and heavy (though, rest assured, it still is). don’t get me wrong, i’m a fan of the peanut butter and/or chocolate spread fillings, but i found the combination of kaya and toasted coconut—an overall gentler flavor with a pleasant sweetness—makes a perfect match here, too.

kaya is a sweetened coconut jam flavored with pandan that’s popular in southeast asia. there are (generally speaking) two types of kaya, one that’s a bit looser with a green hue and one that’s a bit thicker in texture and golden brown in color. the color and texture variations come from differences in the amount of pandan used and how far the sugars are caramelized. i like both versions for kaya toast (a staple breakfast dish in traditional snack shops in singapore especially that layers kaya and thick slabs of butter between slices of toast and is often served with soft boiled eggs, dark soy sauce, and white pepper for dipping — berliners, if you haven’t yet, go eat this at ma-makan) and both for this recipe as well.

i’ve seen and tasted various homemade and restaurant versions of this dish from one layer high to four layers high. i opted here for the tall stack because a) it’s amazing to cut into, exposing architectural pastel stripes of bread and kaya and b) it’s one portion for a treat yo self breakfast with proper proportions (imho) of filling to bread to toppings. that being said, you can do as many (or as few) layers as you desire; for instance, you could split the recipe as written below into two single stacked french toasts. adapt as you like, my rule of thumb: use just 1/2 tablespoon of kaya per layer.

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hong kong-style french toast with kaya

makes one four layer french toast; serves 1 - 2

4 slices white sandwich bread or milk bread (keep the slices on the thinner side, like 1/4 inch or so)

1 1/2 tablespoons kaya (if you’re in berlin, i highly recommend using the homemade kaya from ma-makan, but any store bought one will do; as i note above, there are broadly two types of kaya, both work here)

2 eggs

2 tablespoons coconut milk (substitute: milk)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons vegetable oil (substitute: clarified butter, coconut oil)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 - 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

toasted unsweetened shredded coconut

1. put a piece of bread on a cutting board and spread it with half a tablespoon of kaya. stack another piece on top and spread with another half tablespoon of kaya. repeat once more, then stack on the last piece of bread and press lightly to encourage the layers to stick together. use a serrated knife to cut off the crusts and create a nice even square; we won’t use the crusts, so enjoy them as a snack while cooking. you can leave them on the french toast if desired, just note it may be a bit harder to fry the edges.

2. whisk the eggs, coconut milk, cinnamon and salt together in a shallow bowl or plate. add vegetable oil to a cast iron (or nonstick frying) pan over medium heat.

3. once the oil is hot, quickly and carefully coat all sides of the french toast stack in the egg-milk mixture, not letting any side sit in the egg for too long, then transfer to the oil. fry for about 30 seconds, then flip to another side and repeat until all 6 sides are really nicely golden brown. i found it easier to start with the layered sides first and finish with the top and bottom.

4. transfer the french toast to a serving plate. sprinkle with toasted coconut, drizzle with condensed milk and finish with a tablespoon of butter. serve immediately.