Vietnamese Iced Coffee/Ca Phe Sua Da

“Strong coffee with sweetened condensed milk and chilled on ice makes an unbeatable Southeast Asian treat. Even those who only take their coffee black will like this. Serve it on a hot summer day or as an evening treat.”

Ingredients

12 to 16 ice cubes
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk, at room temperature
3 cups hot, strongly brewed coffee or espresso or, if using the filter-and-drip method, about 4 rounded tablespoons ground coffee (try making this with a robust chicory coffee, such as Cafe du Monde, and you won’t regret it.)

Directions

If using regular brewed coffee:

1. Place 3 or 4 ice cubes and a long-handled spoon in each of four tall glasses.

2. Pour 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk in each of four small cups and then pour in some coffee.

3. Vietnamese iced coffee calls for some pagentry, so set in front of each person a tall glass of ice cubes, a long-handled spoon, a small cup of coffee, and a small spoon. Instruct your guests to stir the coffee thoroughly with the small spoon while it’s still hot (otherwise the condensed milk won’t dissolve so well). Then instruct them to pour the coffee over the back of the spoon and into the tall glass. (The long-handled spoon will prevent the hot liquid from shattering the glass.) Stir in briskly, making an agreeable clatter with the ice cubes.

4. Sip slowly.

If using filter-and-drip brewed coffee (which can be be purchased for about $5.00 at a Vietnamese restaurant or an Asian food market) from individual coffee filters (as shown above) to make Vietnamese coffee.

5. Place 3 or 4 ice cubes in each of four squat glasses.

6. Place 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk into each glass.

7. Place a small Vietnamese metal coffee filter on top of each glass, fill it with a heaping tablespoon ground coffee or espresso, then pour in enough almost-boiling water to nearly reach the rim of the filter. Place the lid of the filter in place. Now wait. The coffee ought to drip, rather than steam, through the filter, taking anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. when done, instruct everyone at the table to remove the filter from the glass and stir briskly.

8. Sip slowly.

Yum!