Vietnamese Iced Coffee Calls For Just One Creamy Canned Ingredient

Vietnamese cuisine may be most notably known for dishes like pho and banh mi, but it's surprisingly also popular when it comes to coffee culture. In fact, Vietnam is the second-largest producer of coffee in the world, and one of their most popular drinks is Vietnamese iced coffee — it's so beloved that you can even get a Vietnamese coffee dupe at Starbucks. Food Republic spoke to Bryan Quoc Le, founder and principal food consultant at Mendocino Food Consulting, and author of the book, "150 Food Science Questions Answered," to learn more about what makes Vietnamese iced coffee so special.

According to Le, there's one specific dairy variation used to achieve the coffee's signature texture: condensed milk. This sweet, canned product is made from milk that is cooked down to remove the water content, and then pumped with sugar. This creates a thick, caramelized consistency that's impossibly creamy and perfect for transforming a basic iced coffee into a dreamy beverage. "Condensed milk contains a high concentration of sugars, which helps to mellow out the strong, bitter flavors and high caffeine content found in the highly concentrated brew of Vietnamese iced coffee," Le said. "Additionally, condensed milk contains a high concentration of fats and proteins. The proteins serve as an emulsifier and help to distribute the fats evenly throughout the iced coffee, while the fat lends creaminess and amplifies fat-soluble flavors by dissolving them." When the two ingredients are combined, you are left with the beautiful flavor fusion that Vietnamese iced coffee is known for. 

If you're ready to make this delicious beverage on your own, you'll want to mimic Vietnam's process for making strong coffee by starting with a dark brew. Then, add a couple of tablespoons of condensed milk to a coffee mug. The right amount of this creamy product will depend on your taste preferences — the more you add, the sweeter your coffee will be. Once you've done that, pour in your dark roast coffee brew and mix together vigorously.

"Stirring is essential to make sure the Vietnamese iced coffee is well-balanced," Bryan Quoc Le told Food Republic. "Often[,] the condensed milk will end up separated from the coffee, creating a very uneven experience as more of the sweetness and creaminess is found at the bottom, while the coffee flavors are found at the top." By stirring your drink until the condensed milk is properly incorporated, you'll have a much better and more cohesive result, reminiscent of the real thing. Le stipulated that the process may take a few minutes, but the result is well worth the extra effort. After you've stirred everything together, you can pour the mixture over ice and enjoy!