Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Càfê sủa đá "Vietnamese ice coffee"

The difference between the Western culture and Eastern culture lies in the philosophy of simplicity.  (I humbly quote.)  Walk into a Starbuck coffee house or a Dunkin' Donut franchise, what do you see? 

Dunkin Donut's:

Starbucks':
 

Have you ever stood in your local coffee house pondering about the differences between each type? What do I want? What size should I get? 

I am not much of a coffee person, myself.  Maybe because caffeine gives me unpleasant side effects.  Heartbeats thumping like elephants racing around the circus.  Anxiousness. Attention deficit.  Sometimes it's worth the risks though... oy, caramel macchiato, either cold or hot, it's irresistible. 

Here, allow me to introduce to you two types of Vietnamese coffee: Càfê sủa đá (Vietnamese ice coffee) and Càfê đen (sweetened or unsweetened Vietnamese Dark "black" coffee).  The aroma, flavor and unique preparation style is intriguing.  Below is the recipe to "how to make Càfê sủa đá."

Recipe 1: How to make Càfê sủa đá.

Materials/Ingredients: Most can be found at your local Asian grocery store or online (apparently, how convenient!)

- 1 set of metal filter (pictures below)

- Cafê Du Monde (I only use this type so far.)

- sweetened condensed milk (picture below), preferably Longevity Brand

- 1 table spoon

- 2 glasses or cups

- hot boiling water


Procedures:

Before we get started, this is what a metal filter looks like: 


















Let's begin...


Longevity Brand condensed milk




Part 1. To save time, before you begin assembling the filter and making the coffee, pop a pot of water on the stove, allow to boil.

(picture 1) In a cup or glass add one tablespoon of Longevity Brand sweetened condensed milk.  

(picture 2) Then , place the metal filter cup on that same cup.  Measure out one tablespoon of Cafe Du Monde and place it in the cup.  

(picture 3) Next, add the press on. Press it down firmly and twist  clockwise to tighten.  Pour in the hot water to the top edge of the cup.  Allow the stream to start and then continue to tighten.   If you want a rich, dark extraction, tighten as much as you can to give it the most pressure.   A good extraction is that a 1 ounce (1 shot) is produced in 25 - 1 min.  In my time, that turns out to be two filtrations (2 shots). So after the first extraction, top the cup again with hot boiling water.  


Photos are credited to VietnamTravel.


Part 2. ... continuing from picture 3.

Pick up the assembled filter and place it in the sink or on a plate.  Do this step quick because it drips.


Café Du Monde coffee




(picture 4) So this is what it looks like after 2 extractions.  Picture shown contains only the first extraction (1 shot in yield).  Using a spoon, mix the condensed milk and the coffee.  If you do it right, you'll get something like picture 5.

Next, pour the mixed coffee over the ice.  Sniff the aroma as you enjoy your cup of tasty home made  Càfê sủa đá.


 

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