Thanks to two of my favorite bloggers WhiteOnRice and Wandering Chopsticks, I learned a few secrets to some great recipes that I shared on TV last month…come take a look at the video:
(by the way, ABC7 upgraded their video application, now it plays on both PCs and Mac!)
When you get to ABC’s site, click on FEATURED VIDEO right below recipe name.
Here’s what you need to make Vietnamese Iced Coffee, or Cafe Sua Da:
1) French roast medium coarse ground coffee: You can use any type of coffee really, many Vietnamese use Cafe Du Monde French Roast Chicory coffee, but as long as the coffee is medium coarse ground, you can use it. Fine ground coffee would fall right through the little holes of the coffee press.
2) Sweetened condensed milk: It’s the sweet, sticky, thick stuff - NOT evaporated milk! No substitutions here!
3) Vietnamese coffee press: Found at any Asian market - usually between $1.50 and $4.00. Here are some resources.
4) 2 glasses: one filled to the brim with ice.
***
Step 1: Add 2 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk to a glass
Step 2: Add 2 tablespoons of ground coffee to the base of the coffee press
Note: if you want a much stronger coffee, Wandering Chopsticks recommends to wet the grounds just a bit to let them expand. About a spoonful of water should do the trick!
Step 3: Screw on the press tight. The coffee should be packed well.
Step 4: Pour boiling hot water into the coffee press.
Cover with its little hat.
Step 5: Wait. It will drip veeerrrry….veeerrrry slowly.
The longer it takes, the stronger the coffee. Notice that there are only a few drops per second. For me, I can’t wait any longer than 5 minutes. If the coffee is dripping too fast, then use a small spoon or tip of knife to screw the press on tighter, 1 turn clockwise. Or if it’s dripping too slow, unscrew 1 turn counterclockwise.
While it’s dripping, go get some ice in a glass. You’ve got nothing else to do!
Step 6: Once it’s finished, stir well.
You can set your coffee maker on top of its overturned lid to prevent dripping onto your nice table.
Step 7: Pour over ice and enjoy!
See how happy Vietnamese Iced Coffee makes me?
June 10th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
I love Vietnamese iced coffee! But I haven’t had one in a LONG time. I’ve been caffeine free since 1994. I think I would be awake for days if I had one now.
June 10th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
MMM, Vietnamese coffee makes me happy too. Maybe a stupid question, but what’s the difference between Vietnamese & Thai coffee? I need to get one of those cute coffee presses!
June 10th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
That looks very good! Throw some Bailey’s in there, too!
June 10th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Sharon - Thai coffee has cardamom!
June 10th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Your pics are fabulous. Cafe Sua Da is soooo good. It gives me a buzz that lasts all afternoon.
June 10th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
I love Vietnamese coffee with a great bowl of pho. I’m also partial towards evaporated milk. My mom calls it sweet milk. Must be a Hong Kong thing. My son has grown up calling it sweet milk, and loves it spread on the Hong Kong style white bread, which looks like pain de mie.
June 10th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Jaden-
So why was the host standing on a box and you were standing in a hole in the floor?
Just wonderin’
PS: She looked like she needed a jolt of something.
June 10th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
I don’t care for coffee at all but you do take the most wonderful pictures!
June 10th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
oh you are so beautiful and look so happy with the coffee
June 10th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Oh, YUM. You had me at “coffee” and “sweetened condensed milk” - done. I adore that little coffee press too. Just what I need, another kitchen tool!
June 10th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
oh that looks sooo good! I have never bought cafe du monde, but peter took me there when i took him to new orleans for his birthday (7 days before Katrina hit, go figure) and i LOVED their coffee (and their (as i yell to peter how do you spell ‘beignet’?!) beignet’s, of course!)
anyhow, have never had experience with Vietnamese Iced Coffee but I just love all coffee, so now i must try this.
btw, i love the pics, GREAT lighting on ‘how-to’, I almost thought those were stock from possibly cafe du monde site or something
June 10th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Looks great! Who needs Starbucks?
June 10th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
the press I have doesn’t have the little niche at the top, so I usually have to use some paper towel to keep my fingers from getting burnt when turning the knob….still, I love vietnamese coffee!
June 10th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
I love me some cafe sua da! But I won’t make it at home (and rarely make Thai tea, another favorite) because I could chug 10 cups in a row (or an entire pitcher of tea). It’s exceedingly addictive.
One note: Most Asian groceries carry those cans of Cafe du Monde, so don’t worry that you have to go to New Orleans for it!
June 10th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Jaden, Thanks so much for sharing these amazing recipes with us. I know I’ll be trying both and I absolutely love the shrimp chips for the Asian Nachos. Yumo!
June 10th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Yum-e!! I love Vietnamese iced coffee.. perfect for breakfast with a hot bowl oh Mi Bo Kho! Vietnamese sure know where its at!
Thank you so much for sharing!!
June 10th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
I love the step by step instructions! That coffee looks sinfully rich in flavour!
June 10th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
This press looks like the one from India, and I think the coffee sounds quite a bit the same, with the chicory… I’m not sure if there is a difference but I’m going to try this with my Indian filter coffee… Looks too good not to try!
June 10th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
coffee and condensed milk! sounds fantastic. I will definitely have to buy one of those baby coffee presses (they’re cute!)
June 10th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
This is one of my favorite (non-alcoholic) drinks, period. Thanks again for the drool-worthy pics.
June 11th, 2008 at 12:22 am
Man, that looks good!
June 11th, 2008 at 12:23 am
Hahaha that orange can… so familiar!
I used to drink this stuff all the time… but I don’t drink coffee any more.
June 11th, 2008 at 2:29 am
I’ve only ever had this in a V restaurant, but I think I might get myself a maker for home.
June 11th, 2008 at 5:55 am
Wow looks so delicious. It is going to be amust try recipie for me.
June 11th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Gimmie!
June 11th, 2008 at 7:31 am
nice Jaden , i’d seen this vietnamese coffe long back with nordjulus but havent been able to get my hands on the coffee press. know of someone who can mail it to africa ?
the pics are wonderful.
haha n carnation is such a honkie thing for me always
June 11th, 2008 at 8:01 am
Vietnamese coffee is fantastic - don’t know why it never occurred to me to make it at home. Your site looks awesome - been out of the loop for a while.
June 11th, 2008 at 9:01 am
This is possibly my most favorite drink in the whole world. I recently made DL’s Vietnamese coffee ice cream (4 batches in two weeks *cough*) and it is as good as the drink itself. thanks for the step-by-step photos and resources for the coffee press.
June 11th, 2008 at 10:23 am
I’ve never had it but sounds like a good change from what I’m used to. I also fell in love with something probably kind of similar–the teas and coffees they would prepare in India. Some times, you can pick out the spices that flavor something, but other times, everything is just in such harmony, that it becomes hard to pick apart. It was a delightful way to wake up each morning.
June 11th, 2008 at 11:32 am
I love that you recommended Cafe Du Monde! The chicory adds such a unique flavor that isn’t bitter like other roasts (even though the Sweetened condensed milk balances things out). Last I made Vietnamese coffee I used Cafe Du Monde and was not disappointed. Thanks for this Jaden!
June 11th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Wow, thanks for breaking that down for us! I was always curious about it. I do believe that this coffee would make for fabulous, fabulous ice cream or pastry cream flavors.
June 11th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
i love this stuff, i get it at the places we go for pho. it never occurred to me that the little press would be so easy to get, and then i can make it at home!
June 11th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Oh, I loooooooooooooove Vietnamese coffee! I bought the little filters a couple of years ago but sadly have hardly ever used them. As you can imagine the Scottish climate doesn’t really lend itself to drinking coffee cold!
June 11th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
I do love the Vietnamese coffee but this also reminds me of a now defunct cheese-shop-that-turned-into-a-coffee-shop back in San Diego called Quel Fromage. They used to make the most ridiculously rich and awesome Mocha with sweetened condensed milk. I might have to try and recreate that this weekend.
By they way, Jaden, all of the photos you post in your blog are way better than your official photo in the masthead. Not that you look bad in any photos but I encourage you to use one of them instead! I’m just sayin’…
June 11th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
YUM!!!!!!!!!!! I am making this with my french press for sure.
June 11th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Very cool! Nice pics, too.
June 11th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
I’ve always loved Vietnamese Coffee because of the Condensed milk. Yum. Now you’ve inspired me to use this flavour in home-made Ice Cream! or Tiramisu. hm.
June 11th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
The segment on TV is so cuute! You’re getting good at that TV thing. I watched it three times in the row, does that make me officially a stalker? haha
I love vietnamese coffee and i always order it at my favorite viet’ restaurant here in NY. Not a bad idea to start making it at home.
btw: i almost pee’d in my pants at the comment you left on my blog. hahaha.
June 12th, 2008 at 2:45 am
wiohohohoooo i think it will make me very very happy too…especially in the mornings when i have recently been super cranky, lemme blame it on the hot and balmy hk summer….
now i need some icy cold lime soda
June 12th, 2008 at 8:46 am
I have never tried this before but it looks amazing.
June 12th, 2008 at 9:34 am
the first time i ordered this at a pho restaurant, i had no clue what to do with the metal thing. i ended up making a mess all over the table - but the coffee was delicious.
June 12th, 2008 at 10:20 am
YES!! I was wondering what to do with the cans of cafe du monde coffee sitting in my cupboard!! You’re my hero!!!
June 12th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Thanks for this! One of my best friends loves Vietnamese iced coffee, so now he’ll be happy indeed.
And, my mom wanted to make sure I sent you a message about how much she loves reading you in The Trib now. I mentioned that I’d send you emails after seeing her read the food section, and she got very excited. She especially approves of your use of fresh ginger.
June 12th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Yeah! I’m so glad that we Mac users can now watch your videos. You did a terrific job and look like you’re having a good time. Now I need to go out and buy one of those coffee filters. Like my kitchen needs one more gadget. Thanks!
June 13th, 2008 at 1:26 am
Diane & Todd over at White on Rice Couple, made us some of this GREAT coffee when we had lunch with them last month. I always forget how much I enjoy coffee this way, until I have it again and we even have the tools to make it at home - may be time to dust it off and enjoy!
June 13th, 2008 at 4:24 am
Thanks for the mention Jaden! You are looking so mighty fine girlfriend, you’re looking different every time I see ya. Is it the coffee? Chasing the boys around? What ever it is, tell me your secret to beauty!
June 13th, 2008 at 11:26 am
I love iced coffee. And you look wonderful!!!!!
June 13th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
I’ve never had Vietnamese iced coffee, but I’ve made Vietnamese coffee ice cream couple of times (recipe courtesy of DL). That was absolutely delicious!!!
June 13th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Jaden, the new look is awesome! sorry for the late feedback, was just tied up with work!!
keep up the good work, and keep drinking that iced coffee!!:)
June 14th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
While we were in Malaysia, we had coffee similar to this and I LOVED it! Now, whenever we go to a Vietnamese restaurant in town, I order coffee and reminisce.
June 19th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Thanks so much for the recipe! I always order the coffee when out at Vietnamese restaurants. Wish there were more in DC - the city, not the burbs!
June 28th, 2008 at 9:53 am
This looks so refreshing. This is the second Vietnamese Iced Coffee recipe I’ve seen recently, so obviously it’s a sign I must try this out immediately
June 30th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
This is just like how the South Indians make coffee, except that they serve it with boiled milk rather than condensed milk, but also very very sweet. It is the best coffee I have ever tasted, so I will have to make it this way now.
I did a post on South Indian coffee if you are interested.
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Thank you for the instructions. My Vietnamese friend gave me the press, the condensed milk and the coffee but the instructions were in Vietnamese! LOL!
July 8th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Love, love, LOVE!!! Thank you!
July 15th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
That’s a yummylicious Ca phe sua da and Ca phe sua nong!!! I just ran out the coffee! Gorgeous photos as always!!!
Cheers
pixen