Cà Phê Trứng (Vietnamese Egg Coffee) #FoodieReads

I am posting this after reading Adam & Evie's Matchmaking Tour by Nora Nguyen.

On the Page

While romance is definitely not my usual genre of choice, this fun, slightly smutty romp was a quick, enjoyable read. We meet Evie Lang, a half-Vietnamese poet from Ohio who was recently been fired from her job at a university where she is also the secret girlfriend of her boss, a full professor in her department. Her beloved aunt has recently passed away, leaving her a valuable row house in San Francisco. The catch: she must go on a matchmaking tour around Việt Nam and send photos of proof to the attorneys before they will release the property to Evie.

Then we meet Adam - yes, Adam and Evie, for real! - a Vietnamese business genius who has just been given the task of CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) for his sister's new matchmaking business. For an exorbitant price, participants traipse around the country while looking for a love-match. Adam's sister, Ruby, has hand-picked the attendees with matches in mind. Only she doesn't anticipate what actually occurs. Think drunken fist-fights, lesbian true-love, and her brother falling for a guest when he was just supposed to documenting the trip for future marketing.

Like all good rom-coms, they do not recognize themselves as an immediate match. Adam thinks Evie is chaotic while Evie thinks Adam is uptight. But, throughout the planned matchmaking adventures, Adam and Evie keep ending up together. Their initial disdain quickly explodes into attraction and a steamy romance. But when their connection threatens his livelihood and inheritance, Evie flees back to the United States without saying good-bye.

I am not going to say anything else, but know that it ends the way most rom-coms end! If that's your jam, this is an enjoyable read.

There was also quite a bit of food on the pages and I will have to do more research into the dishes mentioned. So, stay tuned for more Vietnamese recipes on this blog. They all sound delicious.

"Ruby hands him a plate of bánh căn with seafood and quail eggs. Each rice pancake is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, melding perfectly with the seafood and the dash of nước chấm. The dish smells so good, and he was swimming for so long, that he can’t resist shoveling mouthful after mouthful."

"...she doesn’t want to leave yet. She orders a crispy seafood bánh khoái, with a starfruit-studded salad on the side. As she’s about to put a bite of the pancake in her mouth, Riley sits next to her with a grin. She’d expected to see him at the tombs, but he surprised everyone by going to the spa instead."

"She’s casting a shadow on his table, where he’s drinking a cà phê and eyeing his plate of xôi mặn—the cook’s sticky rice specialty, threaded with egg ribbons and jeweled cubes of Chinese-style sausage. Turns out: midnight lovemaking works up an appetite. He’s ravenous. Adam has gone back for seconds and thirds on the breakfast buffet spread...."

In the Mug

But I was inspired by this passage...

They’ve been having a perfectly lovely conversation about the climate of Việt Nam and the best coffee to order (she enjoys cà phê trứng; he prefers a simple Americano)

Ingredients

makes 2 servings

• 2 egg yolks

• 6 Tablespoons sweetened condensed milk

• 3 Tablespoons ground coffee (I didn't have Vietnamese coffee, so I used a dark roast and a decaf since Jake doesn't do caffeine anymore)

• 2 cups boiling water, divided

• Also needed a Vietnamese phin (Amazon affiliate link)

Procedure

Topping

In a small mixing bowl, beat together the egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk until thickened and airy. The mixture should produce ribbons when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.

Coffee

Bring the water to a boil, then pour it into a mixing cup or something that doesn't pour a lot of water at a time. I used my gooseneck kettle that I use for making pourover coffee (Amazon affiliate link)

Place 1-1/2 Tablespoon of ground coffee in the filter. Gently tamp down with the press, and place over the mug. Pour in 1 cup of the boiling water. Cover the phin and allow to drip.

Once it's done, discard the grounds, and rinse the filter. Repeat the process for the second mug of coffee.

Top each cup of coffee with the beaten egg yolk-sweetened condensed milk mixture. Serve immediately.

I have to admit that I was dubious that the beaten egg would sit on top of the coffee, but it did!

I am adding this to the April #FoodieReads link-up.