Vietnamese Coffee seems to be a virtual Peat super-food

seeyeff

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TL;DR: Vietnamese Coffee is just coffee with condensed milk. Try it, it's good!

Vietnamese coffee as served in restaurants looks something like this. Here is a video of the authentic way of making it, but you can make it easily in various ways without buying special equipment or Vietnamese-brand ingredients. Just brew normal coffee and add condensed milk.

You can add as little or as much condensed milk as you like, but because condensed milk is milk+sugar (in a nearly 1:1 ratio btw) with most of the water having been evaporated, you can add quite a bit without ever watering down your coffee. And it is supposed to be sweet, which coffee purists might look down upon, but which makes me actually like the drink.

At the Vietnamese restaurant where I first saw it, it comes with a glass filled with ice, so I assume it is also common to pour it over the ice and drink it as iced coffee. When chilled, it tastes to me like those bottled Starbucks Frappuccinos.

I don't even have a coffee machine and I didn't want to buy any new equipment so I use hack-ish method for a single serving where I use a pint mason jar with "bowl" of about 5+ coffee filters fixed from the top using the rim part of the typical metal lid and then I pour water over a scoop of coffee grounds held in those filters. The more filters you use the slower the water will drain and the stronger the coffee will be. And then I add condensed milk to taste, which for me is a lot. I also had this idea of pouring some cocoa powder in there for a mocha flavor but haven't tried it yet and I'm not sure if it will work.

Maybe there's something "bad" about condensed milk that I'm not aware of since its processed and canned and could have additives, but it seems like an ideal Peat food just by itself. It's like a pre-prepared super serving of milk+sugar without any water, which if you're like me, can worsen hypothyroid symptoms like general coldness and cold hands and feet.
 

Blossom

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:welcome seeyeff. The coffee idea sounds delicious. I'm going to look into getting some condensed milk the next time I'm at the grocery and try out your recipe. Thanks for the idea.
 

Surfari

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Re: the condensed milk. I'd suggest checking the ingredients. For those of us in the states - I think it's Eagle brand that is just milk and sugar. And IIRC Carnation brand has some added yuckies.
 

mt_dreams

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definitely a good idea if you are on a low budget, or not wanting to buy any new equipment. This is essentially like brewing lots of coffee grounds in a small amount of water, something like an espresso (machine or kettle), then adding it to milk & sugar. As long as the end result is coffee with sugar & milk, without all the added liquid, then you`re ready to go. For people like me who like to do most of the steps themselves, condensing milk via a double boiler, then adding in an espresso shot mixed with some honey has been working well.
 

Daimyo

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I live in Vietnam, and that coffee is really good. The "only" bad thing about it is, that it is brew in the dishes made of aluminum.

They still sell aluminum pots, pans and dishes in shops here.
 

4peatssake

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So I read this post and then made strong drip coffee and put 2 TB of condensed milk in it, well maybe more like 2.5 TB. ;)

OMG Heaven! :lol:

What's especially great is the fat content is lower (3.3 g ) than the cream (5.2 g) I currently take and doubles the amount of protein while providing 20 times the carbs while doubling the calories.

A win for me!

Thanks for sharing.
 

Peata

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I've used canned condensed milk in my coffee now and then. It's pretty good, basically you have the milk/cream and the sugar in one handy container to use in your coffee.
 

charlie

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Moving this to the recipe section cause truly its a great recipe. :hattip
 
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seeyeff

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4peatssake said:
OMG Heaven! :lol:

What's especially great is the fat content is lower (3.3 g ) than the cream (5.2 g) I currently take and doubles the amount of protein while providing 20 times the carbs while doubling the calories.

I know, right? So good.

FYI, there are also zero-fat versions of condensed milk out there if you'd prefer those. Here you can see the Fat-Free Eagle brand condensed milk and its nutrition facts.
 

4peatssake

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seeyeff said:
4peatssake said:
OMG Heaven! :lol:

What's especially great is the fat content is lower (3.3 g ) than the cream (5.2 g) I currently take and doubles the amount of protein while providing 20 times the carbs while doubling the calories.

I know, right? So good.

FYI, there are also zero-fat versions of condensed milk out there if you'd prefer those. Here you can see the Fat-Free Eagle brand condensed milk and its nutrition facts.
Yepper, thanks! Will definitely opt for the no fat version once I go through the 4 cans I have in my pantry - which probably won't be long. :rolling

Your timing is impeccable as I am literally making this right now! :D

Did you see the recipe for this as a gelatin dessert? I eat half the pan before it even sets! :shock:
 
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seeyeff

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Daimyo said:
I live in Vietnam, and that coffee is really good. The "only" bad thing about it is, that it is brew in the dishes made of aluminum.

They still sell aluminum pots, pans and dishes in shops here.

Bummer that they use aluminum there. Most of the ones sold online (in/to the west) are stainless steel.
 
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I think the cans would leach high amounts of estrogens, and stainless steel would leach nickel.
 

4peatssake

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Strongbad

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I just mix coffee powder straight with milk, raw cacao powder, raw honey and stevia. No complain so far :)
 

Dean

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I spent a year in SE Asia and fell in love with condensed milk in coffee. Since then, coffee has never been the same without it.

I'd love to down a can of fat free condensed milk a day to help get my calories up in a very low fat, starch free diet...but I am leery about leeching metals from the cans. It's always something.
 

tara

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Dean said:
I'd love to down a can of fat free condensed milk a day to help get my calories up in a very low fat, starch free diet...but I am leery about leeching metals from the cans. It's always something.
Mittir posted about home-made condensed milk. You have to do it slowly so as not to burn it.
 
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seeyeff

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I have posted a new version of this recipe here: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=7473

It's not really Vietnamese Coffee anymore — since you don't brew it in those little metal things and you don't use condensed milk — but the final product tastes just like it.

It's made with coffee concentrate, milk and simple syrup. It's as fat-free as your milk is, but then, you could use whole milk or add cream if you like it richer.
 

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