Vietnamese Coffee
Vietnamese coffee or cà phê sữa đá is easy to make and is delicious both hot or iced. For just pennies a cup, it’s certainly an affordable indulgence and a lot cheaper than the local coffee shop or Vietnamese restaurant!
Vietnamese coffee is traditionally made with a robust finely ground dark roasted Vietnamese coffee; however, any strong and flavorful coffee will do, especially if it has chicory. You will also need a Vietnamese coffee press or a French press in order to brew the coffee. These are typically very easy to find.
How to Make Vietnamese Coffee
Start by placing 2 – 3 T sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk) in the bottom of a glass (more or less, depending on how sweet you like your coffee); traditionally this glass will be clear, so you can see the pretty colors, but it doesn’t have to be.
Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of finely ground Vietnamese coffee into the cà phê phin or Vietnamese drip filter* (or French press). Place the drip filter on top of the glass containing the sweetened condensed milk. Pour about a tablespoon or so of boiling water into the coffee press. Let the coffee absorb the water; this will cause the grounds to swell a bit and will allow more of the coffee flavor to be extracted. Screw the inner press into place then fill the coffee press with water; put the cover in place and let it drip until all the water has filtered through into the glass. You should have a slow steady drip, so adjust the screw on the press as necessary.
Once the coffee has finished dripping, remove the coffee press and stir the coffee to dissolve the sweetened condensed milk. Enjoy hot or serve over a glass of ice.
* The Vietnamese coffee press is typically made out of stainless steel and has three pieces: the main body, which has small holes on the bottom where the coffee will drip through; a filter or press that screws onto an inside post (this can be screwed tighter or loosened to adjust how fast the water drips through the grounds; and the last piece is the cover. When the coffe is done brewing, take the cover off and flip it upside down. This creates a base to place your coffee filter on and is very convenient to avoid drips and messes. Sometimes the main body or filter will have a removeable ring, which is the part that rests on the top of a glass; other times this ring is attached to the base.
Vietnamese Trung Nguyen Coffee – 15 oz can
