Sunday, January 09, 2011

Kaya Balls/Coconut Jam Balls

I always wanted an electric Takoyaki pan but can’t bring myself to buy it because it cost way too much money for a small gadget. I was so happy when Diana gave me that for Christmas. I promise her that we will make Takoyaki together when she comes home the next time. In the meantime I can’t just let the pan sitting in the kitchen counter without making anything out of it so I decided to try my hand in making Kaya Balls.

These little bite sized delights are commonly sold in Malaysia shopping center food courts. . They are basically little dome-shaped buns filled with kaya (coconut egg jam), chocolate or peanut butter. I tried goggling for the recipe but can’t seem to find the one I want. So this recipe is something I come up with and it turn out pretty good.



Ingredients:

150 gram cake flour
30 gram cornstarch
1 tbsp custard powder
70 gram sugar
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs
180 ml milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp oil
5 tbsp kaya/coconut jam
Some oil for greasing

1. Combined flour, cornstarch, custard powder, salt and baking powder. Mix well and set it aside.
2. Whisk eggs and sugar until well corporate, add in the milk and stir well. Stir in the flour mixture until you get a smooth batter. Add in the vanilla and oil. Set the batter aside to rest for half an hour.
3. Pour the batter into measuring cup for easy pouring. Turn on the Takoyaki pan; brush it lightly with some oil. Pour some batter into each holes about ¾ full, add a little dollop of kaya in the middle of the batter.



4. Once bubbles appear on top of the balls and the bottoms are lightly brown, use a wooden skewer and flip the balls over to cook the other side.
5. Once it is brown, remove the balls and transfer it to serving plate. Repeat the same to the rest of the batter.


Note: This Takoyaki pan does not come with a heat control, so I burned the very first batch of the batter. I have to switch on and off a few times just to control the heat.

I am entering this post in the Muhibbah Malaysian Monday roundup, created and hosted by Sharon of Test with a Skewer and Suresh of 3 Hungry Tummies.

34 comments:

Jeannie said...

Another one of my favourite, never fail to buy these whenever I see these balls on sale outside!

My Little Space said...

Ya, 7pcs for RM2.00! Everyone loves it. It's like the mini size apam balik! Yummm..... Thanks for the recipe. I'm sure my kids will love it.
Have a nice weekend.
Cheers, Kristy

The Sweetylicious said...

i like the pan! it looks super COOL! (: and those you baked looks yummy!!

ann low said...

Never tried kaya balls, looks so delicious that makes me want to buy the Takoyai pan too :)

busygran said...

A nice snack for the afternoon, for kids especially!

WendyinKK said...

Saw these yesterday when I went to Jusco, felt like buying, but I didn't.
When I saw these on your blog today, I so so regretted not buying them yesterday.
Craving oredi leh!!!

Dinners and Dreams said...

Kaya sounds so exotic. I'm definitely intrigued and can't wait to try it!

Nisrine

Anonymous said...

You can buy this kind of pan made of cast iron. All you have to do is put it on top of a gas range, much like what you would do with a cast iron grill. And I think you have better control over the heat.

In the Netherlands we make something called pofferjes (little 'puffs'). The batter is the same as pancake. Once it is cooked, put a few on a plate, put a spoonful of butter on top and springer power sugar. For something more fancy add liquere or rum.

Cindy

Angie Tee said...

Gert, these kaya balls look like Ebleskiver (Danish Pancake Balls).

E. said...

That's so nice of your friend. It's always nice to have a friend get something for you when you aren't willing to splurge. :) You should try making dorayaki with this too, if you like red bean and such.

mycookinghut said...

Fantastic! I love these kaya balls... great for tea time!!

Jenn@ChasingFoodDreams said...

Love your blog.. my sis Janice Wien introduced me to your blog :)

I get my fixed of kaya balls from pasar malam here..

Your #1 Fan said...

Wah! Looks so delicious! Thanks for sharing.

3 hungry tummies said...

I must try to make this for CNY. Love ur sang har mien too!

Jessica's Dinner Party said...

I love kaya! My friend recently introduced me to it, and now I can't get enough of it! Since i don't have a Takoyaki machine, maybe I could just make them into stuff pancakes.

Shereen said...

Gert,
This is J's favourite kuih when we were living in Malaysia.Kaya ada stock...kedai mari punya and not homemade but the takoyaki pan..tak da.How?
Must go to K-Mart and buy.I saw after christmas and it was pretty cheap but no brand la...if buy and use a few times and then rosak..very sayang la kan?...Actually kan, not only J's fave but mak dia pun suka jugak...hahahaha.

Cheah said...

They look cute and it's a sure hit with kids!

ICook4Fun said...

Jeannie, me too. I can't resist this if I see them when I am back in Malaysia.

Kristy, pretty expensive isn't it? 7 pcs for RM2.

Sweetylicious, thanks.

Anncoo, can you get it in Singapore?

Busygran, yes it is.

Wendy, I remember they sell this outside JJ supermarket.

Dinners and Dreams, hope you like it.

Cindy, I saw the cast iron pan at the Kitchen supply store but still can't bring myself to buy it. Way too expensive. I will try to make pofferjes one day. They sound delicious.

ICook4Fun said...

Angie, not sure what is that. I will google for it.

Esther, actually it is my niece Diana that bought it for me.

Lelemei, yes it is :)

Jenn, welcome to my blog. How are you. SC told me about you some time ago. I miss Pasar Malam :)

Jet, you are welcome.

3 hungry tummies, thank you.

Jessica, glad that you like kaya.

Shereen, over here this machine cost over $80.00 so mahal. If over there is cheap you should get one since J's and you like kaya balls. Tak susah buat this. Do try it out.

Chean, yes it is.

dinewithleny said...

Oh wow...this looks so gooddddd...I love kaya...i sish I can get one of those takoyaki mould you got.

Babe_KL said...

you're really a genius to turn the pan into making something other than takoyaki!

Shirley @ Kokken69 said...

Takoyaki grill for Kaya balls! Brilliant! I also like Takoyaki but have never had the urge to buy the electric pan -I wanted the cast iron takoyaki grill.. ;)

Bakericious said...

Wow you are so brilliant to use the Takoyaki grill for Kaya balls!

Pei-Lin said...

Kaya balls are part of my childhood memories!!! I craved for these a lot when I was in MN! HAHA!

shaz said...

Oh Yum! I love these little kaya balls, the last time I visited Malaysia, was so shocked to find out how expensive they were. Need to get one of those takoyaki pans and try it out, thanks for the recipe and thanks for another great MM contribution :)

Beachlover said...

yes,Gert I remember about this kaya ball..when I was working in Yoahan food court years ago I helped the staff cook this gems,that mean fill the mould wt dough b4 fill in the kaya!! I love this little thingy..I can't remember the exect recipe but all I know is flour,plenty of egg,sugar,milk and baking powder!

Beachlover said...

oh yea..a vendor stall at Canal St and Motts St in Chinatown Manhattan do sell this ball but don't have kaya or filling..If I'm not mistaken he sell 20 for $2.00!! so long didn't go there liao!

Nate @ House of Annie said...

I love these little bites. They sell them at certain hawker stalls here in Kuching.

ICook4Fun said...

To Muz Nor, hope you read this message. I can't reply to your email because it was wrong. My niece bought this from Amazon.com

Clay Kuok said...

Hi, i live in Singapore and ive been looking for this maker for a long time! may i know where can i get this in malaysia? thanks!

ICook4Fun said...

Clay, not sure where you can get it in Malaysia but I know you can get it from Amazon.com

Anonymous said...

Hi..I bought this item too from rakuten Japan..but unfortunately. .I cannot use it in Malaysia. .how do you step down the voltage?mine is 100V,650W..the transformer is too expensive..

ICook4Fun said...

Anon, get yourself a transformer or else how are you going to use it? Expensive or not you still have to buy it.

skook said...

Thanks for sharing.