Ingredient Lore #1: Evaporated milk
Behind Falai's name!
Art by Cakespy
Falai is particularly excited for this month’s article! Have you wondered what Falai means?
In Cantonese, 花奶 (literally meaning “flower milk” and pronounced as fa-lai), is short for Nestlé Carnation Milk (pronounced as sam-fa-tam-lai), which is one of the popular evaporated milk brands used in Hong Kong. Evaporated milk is one of the ingredients that forms the core and soul of Hong Kong milk tea.
In this post, we will cover:
What evaporated milk is
Its history and use in HK milk tea
How evaporated milk can be used
The difference between evaporated milk and condensed milk
🥛What is evaporated milk?
Exactly as the name suggests, evaporated milk is fresh milk from the cows that is heated to remove 60% of its water!
Because of this, evaporated milk has a much thicker, richer and creamier consistency compared to fresh milk. It also has a natural sweetness to it from the sugars that are released in the process of heating.
You can definitely try to make your own evaporated milk by gently simmering fresh milk over low heat for about 25 minutes. Alternatively, if you have a can of evaporated milk and want fresh milk, all you need to do is to add an equal amount of water (e.g. 250 mL of evaporated milk with 250 mL of water) and voila!
There are several evaporated milk brands out there. When it comes to Hong Kong milk tea, some of the most loved brands by Hong Kong locals include Black & White, a Dutch brand that has been in the city for over 70 years, and the aforementioned Nestle Carnation Milk (Falai’s favorite obviously!).
🥛What’s the story behind evaporated milk?
The concept of canned milk was first discovered in the 1800s by Nicholas Appert, a confectioner in Ivry-sur Seine, the outskirts of Paris, when he was experimenting with food preservation processes in his tiny kitchen.
Over the 19th century, canned milk production underwent several redevelopments, and in 1885, evaporated milk was first manufactured commercially in the United States. As evaporated milk could be preserved for a long time, production flourished during the Spanish-American War as it could survive trans-Atlantic voyages and feed the armed forces. Since the 1900s, evaporated milk has been made available to the general public.
🥛How did evaporated milk find its way into Hong Kong milk tea?
HK milk tea was inspired by the British during their colonial rule of Hong Kong from the 1840s to 1997. The British loved their tea, and enjoyed it with milk. But at that time, milk was a rare and expensive commodity as cattle were kept to plough the farms rather than for milking purposes.
Thanks to canning and evaporation processes that flourished in the 1920s, evaporated milk became a more accessible, cost-effective alternative to fresh milk. Using leftover tea residue and a blend of tea leaves, people decided to balance out the strong, bitter taste of the tea with the silky, sweet texture of evaporated milk. Initially just a frugal coping strategy, the Hong Kong milk tea was born and is now an important cultural heritage of the city.
🥛How can evaporated milk be used?
Evaporated milk (and condensed milk too) have a much longer shelf life compared to fresh milk, lasting on average 12 to 18 months.
If you happen to be out on a camping trip and your dish calls for fresh milk, you can bring along evaporated milk instead as a substitute, and condensed milk if you need an extra drizzle of sweetness with your favorite cake!
Evaporated milk is commonly used in beverages like coffee and tea. But there are so many other ways in which you can use it! With its creamy texture, it is perfect for custards or creamy pastas and casseroles. Here are some of our favorite recipes:
Coquito - a delicious boozy coconut drink for the festive seasons!
🥛Wait a minute. Is evaporated milk the same as condensed milk?
It is easy to get the two mixed up, but they are slightly different! Both are made with similar methods where the milk is heated to remove 60% of its water content.
The difference is that condensed milk is evaporated milk with added sugar, and so it is much sweeter. Whilst evaporated milk has a thin consistency and white like fresh milk, condensed milk is thicker, richer and stickier with an off-white, light caramel tone.
Condensed milk is just as versatile, and is a perfect sweet treat. Just like evaporated milk, you can add it to your coffee. Or you can drizzle it on your favorite pudding! In Hong Kong, a popular dish you will find in any local cha caan teng (Hong Kong-style cafe) is thick toast spread with peanut butter and a generous drizzle of condensed milk!
Source: Hong Kong style French toast
🥛Are they interchangeable with milk? Can I use evaporated milk instead of condensed milk?
If a recipe calls for regular milk but you only have a can of evaporated milk at home, regular milk can be made by mixing equal amounts of evaporated milk and water together (e.g. 1 cup of evaporated milk with 1 cup of water).
However, evaporated milk is not quite interchangeable with condensed milk! Not only are the textures different, but condensed milk is much sweeter compared to evaporated milk. Condensed milk is perfect to sweeten dishes, whereas evaporated milk tends to be used if you want a more rich and creamy flavor.
🥛How do YOU use evaporated milk?
That’s the end of this mouth-watering post! We hope you enjoyed learning about evaporated milk.
As you dash off to make your own peanut butter milk toast, or experiment in the kitchen, please let us know in the comments some of your favorite recipes and discoveries to use evaporated milk (or condensed milk)!
Share the food, share the love right? Till next time!
so informative! i did not know about the difference btwn evaporated and condensed milk