Kopi

Ingredients

Coffee

• 40 gdark kopi grounds, roasted with sugar and margarine
• 300 mlwater, just off the boil

For kopi

• 2 tbspsweetened condensed milk

For kopi-c

• 3 tbspevaporated milk
• 2 tspsugar

For kopi-o

• 2 tspsugar

Equipment

• a cloth sock filter on a wire ring
• two metal jugs
• a thick porcelain cup and saucer

Directions

1. Grind it coarse if you are grinding beans yourself. Rinse a new sock thoroughly in boiling water before first use. Never wash a used sock with detergent, which taints it permanently.
2. Rinse it in plain hot water and store it submerged in water. Put the grounds in the sock and set it over a metal jug.
3. Pour the hot water slowly over the grounds. The water should be just off the boil rather than boiling.
4. Let it drain through completely into the jug. Pour the brewed coffee from one jug back through the sock into the other.
5. Pour from a height, which aerates it and cools it slightly. Now the cup, which should be warmed. Rinse the cup with hot water and pour it out. Kopi is served in a thick porcelain cup on a saucer.
6. Pour the hot coffee over the milk. Do not stir it in the shop, since it is stirred by the drinker. Add the evaporated milk last, which swirls into the black. Now serving, which is done very hot.
7. Serve it immediately while it is still steaming. It is drunk with kaya toast and soft-boiled eggs at breakfast.

Technique

• Kopi beans are roasted with sugar and margarine, which is what makes the style.
• Never wash the cloth sock with detergent, which taints it permanently.
• Pull the coffee back through the sock two or three times to build the body.

Substitutions

• Ready-ground kopi powder, sold in Singaporean and Malaysian shops.
• A fine metal filter, though the texture is thinner.

Variations

• Kopi-o, black with sugar.
• Kopi-c, with evaporated milk.
• Kopi peng, poured over ice in a glass.

History

Coffee beans roasted with sugar and margarine in Hainanese kopitiams; orders follow a code, kopi-o black and kopi-c with evaporated milk.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kopi?

Kopi is a drink from Singapore: kopitiam coffee roasted with butter, ordered in coded shorthand. Coffee beans roasted with sugar and margarine in Hainanese kopitiams; orders follow a code, kopi-o black and kopi-c with evaporated milk.

How long does Kopi take to make?

Kopi takes 5 min of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 cup. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Kopi?

Yes, within limits. Ready-ground kopi powder, sold in Singaporean and Malaysian shops. A fine metal filter, though the texture is thinner.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kopi?

Grind it coarse if you are grinding beans yourself. Rinse a new sock thoroughly in boiling water before first use. Never wash a used sock with detergent, which taints it permanently.