Vietnamese Egg Coffee

What to Put on the Table With Vietnamese Egg Coffee

• A hot afternoon
• Bánh mì
• Nothing sweet

How to Cook Vietnamese Egg Coffee

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1. Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure it does not touch the surface.

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2. Put the yolks, condensed milk, vanilla and salt in the bowl and whisk constantly — an electric whisk is much easier — for 5 to 7 minutes.

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3. The mixture will pale, triple in volume and thicken until it holds a soft ribbon. It should read about 70°C / 158°F.

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4. Take it off the heat and keep whisking for another minute as it cools slightly and stiffens further.

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5. Brew the coffee and divide it between two small warmed glasses, filling them halfway.

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6. Spoon the egg foam over the top in a thick layer — it should sit proud rather than sink.

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7. Dust with cocoa and serve with a spoon. Eat the top third, then stir the rest through.

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A Few Notes

The bowl must not touch the water, or the yolks scramble.

Whip it warm, not cold. A cold-whipped foam collapses before it reaches the table.

Serve it in a small glass standing in a bowl of hot water, as they do in Hanoi, and it stays hot to the last spoonful.

Storing and Reheating

Made to order. The foam does not hold.

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.