Vietnamese Egg Coffee

Vietnamese Coffee has always been a favorite. The strong brew with over ice with sweetened condensed milk - Perfection!

Egg coffee is another delicious Vietnamese coffee variation. It's born out of the Vietnam War. When dairy was short in the north the resident of Hanoi started using egg as a substitute. In this instructable I'll share how I make egg coffee and how I vary from the traditional recipe.

Raising chickens (see our girls here) I'm always looking for new ways to use eggs. I particularly like knowing they are fresh when preparing them raw -that said, the yolk is well protected by the white. I'll share why you should feel confident with eggs from a farmer's market.

The kitchen basics should be available to most DIYers... I like the 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup (shown here) because it's easy to handle when mixing and deep enough so that the mixture doesn't splash out.

Mixer - You'll see that I use a cordless drill with an egg beater... years ago I picked up the egg beater for $.10 at a rummage sale. It's made for a hand mixer but I find the drill works for me. I use an older model of this Matika Set. One day I'll upgrade but for now it works.

Coffee - After living in New Orleans I came to know a few variations of Vietnamese coffee. Here in MN you'll often find the Cafe DuMonde brand. It's good. But the standard in every Vietnamese shop is Trung Nguyen. -if you have a fondness for coffee cans you'll enjoy these printed tins :)

Brewing with a french press is the standard at our house.

Egg Creamer - Ingredients are listed below

• Butter (optional but boosts the fat -bonus)
• Milk/Cream/Soy (really any milk or milk substitute. Heavier the better -my opinion)
• Dash of brewed coffee
• Flavor/Sweetener (sugar/maple syrup/almond/vanilla extract)
• Eggs

Egg Note: Yes, eating raw eggs can be a hazard. The catch is that the majority of Salmonella is spread by surface contaminates. The egg itself has a low rate of contamination. Better still - we are only eating the egg yolks. The yolks are protected by a series of membranes (including the egg whites). Eggs from a regular vendor at a farmer's market should be clean for your use. Or the specialty eggs at most groceries. More on Salmonella and egg contamination (here).

• Never wash eggs. Commercial cleaners use steam to clean the eggs after they are collected. Using cold water can actually move contamination through the shell by osmosis.
• Never use cracked eggs. The cracks are much more likely to collect contamination and allow for it to pass into the egg where it multiplies quickly.
• Avoid yolks that aren't perfect. If the outside is fuzzy I fry them. If there are any spots of blood (common) I fry them.

Below is the ingredient list stretched to walk through the steps.

Butter - totally optional but we enjoy the added creaminess it brings. Have you had bulletproof coffee? It's marketed to mix with butter. They pitch (where I tried it in Chicago) that the fat bonds with the caffeine to make for a slow release that delivers through the day. People rave about it.

Milk/Cream/Soy - In the photos I use a heavy creamer. I pour till it's just about to cover the yolks, about 3 tbsp. I use a range of dairy products and expect a similar result with non-dairy. Traditionally sweeten condensed milk is used. Honestly, you can't beat it... that said, it' just gets too sweet for me on a regular basis. (enjoyed finding this Aussie travel sized condensed milk)

Coffee - Traditionally a splash of coffee is added. I think this is simply because the sweetened condensed milk is so thick. I typically pass on this step but it's worth noting.

Flavor/Sweetener - As note, traditionally the SCMilk takes care of the sweetener. I find it ideal to add 1-2 tbsp of sugar or maple sugar. I typically at 1 of maple sugar. If I'm adding regular sugar it's an option to add an extract - almond or vanilla (my gf swears by Watkins for her baking. I need to replace the one I've nearly finished)

Eggs - using two eggs but perfectly easy to scale up or down. If you go to three you'll need a bigger mixing bowl than the 2 cup size I'm using. See in the photos my technique for separating the eggs with a teaspoon. (here is america's test kitchen's recommendation. I like my way better)

Yes, I enjoy bringing the drill into the kitchen!

It may be unnecessary now that I'm sharing baking supplies with a pro... that said, I still reach for my mid-90s Matika.

How long to blend? If you're working a thick mixture a head will start to build in about 30-60 sec. If it's a thinner because of low fat or non-dairy subsitutions it just needs to be mixed well 15-30 sec.

The final product is beautiful!

If it wasn't a legal nightmare for coffee shops I think we'd see egg coffee popping up in bougie shops around the country. While it may be difficult commercially it's easy in the home. Especially if you're raising backyard chickens. Here are a two instructables that help to remove barriers from getting started (coop design + winterproofing)

It's hard to spot the variations in the photos but easy to get started with different ratios.

Shout out to ChooChooCaChew for writing a blog post on Vietnamese Coffee.

If you enjoy adorable chickens here's a link to see our ladies - Barb, Candy, Lil'T and Kiki3 (instagram)

Thanks, Jeff