Pulled Coffee

The first time I ever saw my granny do it, I was amazed. I was just 4 years old, spending the summer in Bangalore. Little did I know, but I was falling in love with a long standing tradition: Indian Filtered Coffee. The secret to the unique taste of this coffee is that it is only about 80% fresh ground coffee and about 20% chicory, or an herb that is dried and ground and sometimes used as a coffee additive. The coffee is filtered with a special contraption, and it is usually extremely strong (tada! Indian - style espresso!)

My granny used to take this coffee and add a few tablespoons of it to boiling milk and sugar in a steel container. Then came the really cool part: she poured it back and forth in this elaborate dance where streams of milk moved in large arcs (hence the name "pulled" coffee). And when she was done, the liquid was semi-cooled, but frothy, sweet, and incredibly delicious.

Frothy, pulled coffee in a south Indian "dabarah"

Unfortunately, I haven't really found a way to perfectly replicate that amazing taste at home, but I like do something to make coffee at home a little more special.

Ingredients:
1 shot of espresso
1 cup milk
2 green cardamom pods, crushed
sugar, as desired

1) Bring the milk and crushed cardamom pods to a scalding boil on the stove. Be sure to watch and stir constantly! Milk can easily burn or boil over.

2) Strain milk (to catch the pods) into a coffee mug. Add 1 shot of espresso and sugar (as desired). Enjoy!

3) If you are lucky enough to have a South Indian "dabarah", instead of pouring the milk, sugar, and espresso into a mug, pour them into the dabarah and "pull" the coffee back and forth by pouring it in high arcs between the dabarah and the associated steel glass. Be sure to be careful and hold everything by the rims! The coffee will be hot. Once frothy, pour into the steel glass and enjoy! Watch an expert.

Cardamom is a pricey spice, but it's the perfect thing to add an element of flavor and interest to a plain cup of cafe au lait.