Ingredients
Coffee
- 6 tablespoonsdark roast coffee
- coarsely ground
- Cambodian butter-roasted if possible
- 300 mlhot water
To serve
- 6 tablespoonscondensed milk
- plenty of ice
- tall glasses
Equipment
- a metal phin filter
- or a cloth sock filter
- or a fine sieve with muslin
Directions
- Butter or margarine goes into the roasting drum. Similar roasting is done in Vietnam and Laos. Reduce the milk if you want it less sweet. Spoon condensed milk into the bottom.
- Use about three tablespoons per glass. Do not add any ice to it just yet. Set the phin on the glass or a cup. Spoon the ground coffee into the chamber. Set the press disc on top of it. Press it down gently but firmly. Do not tamp it hard like espresso.
- Pour a little hot water over the grounds. Just enough to wet them through. Let it sit for thirty seconds. Brewing it takes real patience. Pour the rest of the hot water in. Fill the chamber to just below the rim.
- Put the lid on and leave it alone. Let it drip for four or five minutes. Judging the drip takes a look. Let it stand thirty seconds first. About ninety-five degrees is right.
- Put the grounds in the cloth bag. Set the cloth bag over a large jug. Pour hot water through it slowly. Let it drip through completely.
- Rinse the cloth in hot water afterwards. Never use soap on a coffee cloth. Lift the phin off once it has stopped. Stir the coffee into the condensed milk.
- Stir until it is evenly coloured. Judging the drink takes a taste. Add more coffee if it tastes only sweet. Add more milk if it is too bitter. Serving it is done immediately.
Technique
- Cambodian coffee is roasted with butter or margarine and sugar in the drum, which caramelises the beans and gives a smoky sweet character quite unlike a plain dark roast; the additions stretched expensive beans and masked lower quality coffee before becoming the expected taste.
- Condensed milk goes in the bottom of the glass and the coffee is brewed straight onto it, with ice added afterwards, since brewing hot coffee onto ice melts it and waters the drink down immediately.
- A phin is a small metal drip filter sitting on the glass, while many Cambodian stalls use a cloth sock filter on a wire hoop that holds enough to brew a whole batch.
Substitutions
- Any dark roast coffee works, though the butter-roasted style gives the characteristic flavour.
- A fine sieve lined with muslin stands in for a phin or a cloth filter.
Variations
- Some stalls brew a whole batch in a cloth filter and pour to order.
- It is drunk hot without ice as well.
- The amount of condensed milk varies enormously between stalls.
History
Cambodian coffee is often roasted with butter and sugar, giving the brew its distinctive smoky sweetness.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kafe Tuk Doh Ko?
Kafe Tuk Doh Ko is a drink from Cambodia: dark filtered coffee poured over condensed milk and a glass of ice. Cambodian coffee is often roasted with butter and sugar, giving the brew its distinctive smoky sweetness.
How long does Kafe Tuk Doh Ko take to make?
Kafe Tuk Doh Ko takes 5 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 2. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Kafe Tuk Doh Ko?
Yes, within limits. Any dark roast coffee works, though the butter-roasted style gives the characteristic flavour. A fine sieve lined with muslin stands in for a phin or a cloth filter.
What is the most important thing to get right in Kafe Tuk Doh Ko?
Use about three tablespoons per glass. Do not add any ice to it just yet. Set the phin on the glass or a cup. Spoon the ground coffee into the chamber. Set the press disc on top of it. Press it down gently but firmly. Do not tamp it hard like espresso.
