Egg coffee is a Hanoi drink of egg yolk whisked with sugar and condensed milk, set on hot coffee. Cafe Giang, where it began in 1946, serves the cup in warm water.

Nguyen Van Giang, a bartender at the Metropole Hotel, used whisked egg yolk in place of scarce fresh milk and started selling the drink at his own Cafe Giang in 1946. His youngest son now runs the cafe. His daughter Bich opened Cafe Dinh at 13 Dinh Tien Hoang, up a flight of steps in an old house above an alley near Hoan Kiem Lake.

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Make it at home

Serves Serves 115 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 small espresso shot (or 60ml strong phin filter coffee)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Method

  1. Brew the coffee directly into a small heatproof glass or cup. Robusta phin filter or a short espresso both work; the coffee should be strong.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolk, condensed milk, sugar and vanilla with a hand whisk or electric beater for 3-4 minutes until thick, pale and tripled in volume. The texture should be foamy custard, not liquid.
  3. Spoon the whipped egg-milk mixture onto the hot coffee. The egg should sit on top like a meringue cap.
  4. Serve immediately with a long spoon; eat the foam first, then sip the coffee underneath.

Editor tip. Use the freshest egg you can find. The egg cap should hold its shape; if it sinks, whisk longer next time. Serve in a hot-water bain-marie to keep warm.

Common allergens: Egg, Dairy.