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Author:
Franco Salzillo
When someone told me about a coffee recipe with an egg yolk in it, I was okay with it; after all, some of my friends always add a raw egg to their morning smoothie. When I tried the Vietnamese egg coffee, though, I realized it was more than nutrition; the yolk adds the loveliest creaminess to the coffee! Here’s what you need to know about this exciting, caffeinated drink.
Legend says, there was a milk shortage in Vietnam, and since creamy coffee is an essential part of people’s diets, they added an egg yolk to substitute milk’s creaminess. I’m not sure if this is true, but if you needed an excuse to try this delicious coffee, well, there you have it — it’s part of the country’s history!
If you know Vietnamese coffee, you know it’s nothing like what we drink in the west. They use their famous Robusta coffee beans, which are always intensely flavored. They also use condensed milk, which would be too sweet if it weren’t for the coffee’s balancing bitterness. This coffee specialty is no different; we’re using coffee, condensed milk and an egg yolk.
For my Vietnamese coffees, I use espresso, and I make it in a stovetop moka machine. You can also make your espresso with a coffee pod or if you have a fancy steam espresso machine, then, by all means, use it. What you want is two tall espresso shots, which have twice as much water as a regular espresso. That’s two regular espressos and two ounces of hot water.
You’ll also need a few tablespoons of creamy condensed milk. Use the sweetened condensed milk and not evaporated milk because it’s totally different.
Finally, there’s the egg yolk. What I do is crack open the egg into a small mixing bowl and scoop the yolk with my hand. It’s messy, but I don’t know a better way of separating the yolks from the whites.
The only thing left to do is whisking the yolk with the condensed milk and using the yolky foam to top your coffee. You should end with a layered coffee not dissimilar to a cappuccino. This coffee specialty is unlike anything you’ve tried before.
Separate the egg yolk from the white and discard the white. In a cup or small mixing bowl, add the condensed milk and the yolk. Whisk with a fork until foamy and frothy.
Brew your two tall espressos and pour them in a glass.
Top with the sweetened yolk mixture.
