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Filter coffee
பில்டர் காபி: Tamil decoction coffee with chicory, frothy hot milk and sugar, poured between tumbler and davara
In Tamil Nadu the day starts with filter coffee: a strong decoction dripped slowly through a two-tier steel filter, mixed with plenty of hot, boiled milk and sugar, and frothed by pouring it from a height between a steel tumbler and its little bowl, the davara. It's served at every Chennai and Kumbakonam 'hotel' and in nearly every home, and it's thick, sweet and slightly bitter from the chicory in the coffee powder. Chef's tip: press the coffee only lightly in the filter and pour the water in slowly; packed too tight, it drips for an hour, and too loose, the decoction is thin.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 3 tbsp South Indian filter coffee powder (coffee with 15–20% chicory) in the top, perforated chamber of a South Indian filter. Press the plunger disc on top very lightly, just to level it.
Step 2: Pour in ¾ cup water, which should be just off the boil, put the lid on and leave it for 15–20 minutes to drip into the lower chamber. You'll get about 80 ml of thick, dark decoction. Common mistake: using boiling water straight from a rolling boil and topping up halfway; it gives a bitter, weak decoction. Pour once and wait.
20 minStep 3: Bring 1 ¼ cups full-fat milk to the boil in a small pan over a medium heat and let it rise once, then take it off.
4 minStep 4: Put half of 3 tsp sugar in each tumbler, add 3–4 tbsp decoction and fill with hot milk, about 1 part decoction to 3 parts milk. Taste and add more decoction for a stronger cup.
Step 5: Pour the coffee from the tumbler into the davara from a height of about 30 cm and back again, 3–4 times, until it's well mixed, cool enough to sip and topped with a thick froth. Serve straight away in the tumbler and davara.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 130 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 15 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does filter coffee take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of full-fat milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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