Vietnamese Egg Coffee (Cà Phê Trứng)

Vietnamese Egg Coffee (Cà Phê Trứng) © kvalifood.com

Cà phê trứng - egg coffee - was invented in Hanoi in the 1940s as a substitute for scarce fresh milk. Strong Vietnamese coffee is topped with a thick, whipped egg yolk and condensed milk cream. It tastes like a tiramisu in a cup. It is still made at Giang Café in the Old Quarter, where the original recipe was created.

Ingredients

Serves 4

  • 4 egg yolks
  • 4 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 4 tbsp Vietnamese ground coffee (robusta if possible)
  • boiling water, as needed

Directions

Brew the coffee

  1. Brew 4 small, strong cups of Vietnamese coffee using a phin filter (Vietnamese drip filter). Alternatively use a strong espresso or moka pot coffee.

Make the egg cream

  1. Separate the eggs, keeping only the yolks.
  2. Put the egg yolks, condensed milk, and honey in a deep bowl.
  3. Whisk vigorously - ideally with an electric whisk - until the mixture is thick, pale, and holds soft peaks. This takes several minutes. The texture should be like a thick custard sauce.

Assemble

  1. Pour the hot black coffee into cups.
  2. Spoon or pour the egg cream over the coffee. Do not stir - it is drunk through the cream.
  3. To keep the coffee hot in the traditional Hanoi way, set the cup in a small bowl of hot water.

Notes

  • Robusta coffee is traditional and gives a stronger, more bitter base that works well with the sweet egg cream.
  • The egg mixture should be thick enough to float on top of the coffee without sinking immediately.
  • The raw egg yolk is cooked slightly by the steam from the hot coffee but remains essentially raw. Use fresh, good-quality eggs.