Cambodian-style Iced Coffee

One of the things I fell head-over-heels in love with when I was in Cambodia last year was the iced coffee. Our over-enthusiastic guide had insisted on taking us to at least three temples before stopping for lunch, so by the time we arrived at the tiny outdoor restaurant next to one of the temples in Siem Reap we were completely exhausted, grubby, sweaty and in dire need of refreshment. This freshly-brewed coffee, sweetened with condensed milk, combined with the hammocks that the restaurant-owners kindly let us melt into (I don’t think they really had a choice in the matter, to be honest) meant that post-lunch we were reinvigorated and ready for the next set of temples.

The picture is awful, but the coffee was heavenly - so good I forgot to take a picture until I was halfway through. 

We know, though, that things this good do not go unpunished, and the ice in said iced coffee was probably what led to me contracting the infamous SE-Asian stomach bug and being out for the count for the next three days or so. Now, however, I appear to have worked out the formula, and can enjoy this magnificence without the after-effects.

In South Africa now it’s probably a little ridiculous to be drinking iced coffee, but it’s just as easy to have hot - just omit the ice and stick the milk in the microwave. I’m sure I don’t even really need to write a recipe for this, but at least the pictures are pretty.

Ingredients:

1 shot freshly-brewed espresso

2T condensed milk (or to taste)

100ml milk

A few ice cubes

Method:

1. Pour the espresso into a cup over a couple of the ice cubes to cool down.
2. Pour milk and condensed milk into a glass. Stir and add ice.
3. Pour espresso over the top.
4. Stir it all up and drink it down.

Of course, everyone will have their own coffee preferences. I like mine strong and sweet. You could add more milk, more coffee, or more condensed milk. I hear in Vietnam a lot of people like to drink the Vietnamese coffee super strong with a few tablespoons of condensed milk. Play with it and find the deliciousness that suits you best.