Vietnamese Avocado Smoothie (Sinh Tố Bơ)

Before you start

Sinh tố bơ is a Vietnamese café and street-stall favorite: avocado treated as a dessert fruit, blended with sweetened condensed milk and ice until it is thick enough to need a spoon at first. The result is buttery, gently sweet and pale green, with none of the savory associations avocado has in most American kitchens.

Everything depends on the avocado. It needs to be fully ripe, yielding to gentle pressure near the stem, with bright green flesh and no brown streaks. An underripe fruit tastes grassy and blends grainy; an overripe one tastes bitter. Condensed milk is both the sweetener and much of the creaminess, so start with less than you think and add more after tasting. Some stalls drizzle extra condensed milk inside the glass or top the drink with a little chocolate syrup.

Ingredients

• 1 large (about 200 g flesh) ripe avocado — Hass or a large green-skinned variety
• 45-60 ml (3-4 tbsp) sweetened condensed milk — plus extra for the glass, optional
• 180 ml (¾ cup) cold whole milk
• 1 cup (about 150 g) ice cubes
• Small pinch salt — optional

Method

1. Halve the avocado, remove the pit and scoop the flesh into the blender jar. Leave behind any brown or stringy spots, which turn the drink bitter.
2. Add the cold milk, 45 ml of condensed milk and the pinch of salt.
3. Blend on medium for 20 seconds until completely smooth and pale green.
4. Add the ice and blend on high for 20 to 30 seconds, until the ice is fully crushed and the mixture is thick and fluffy.
5. Taste and add up to 15 ml more condensed milk if needed, then pulse briefly.
6. If you like, drizzle a spoonful of condensed milk around the inside of each glass. Pour in the smoothie and serve at once with a wide straw or a spoon.

Tips for success

• Check ripeness by pressing gently near the stem end; it should give slightly without feeling mushy. Flicking off the stem nub should reveal green, not brown.
• A larger, milder green-skinned avocado gives a lighter, fluffier drink; Hass is richer and denser.
• Make it right before serving. Avocado oxidizes and darkens within an hour even with the milk around it.

Substitutions

Sweetened condensed milk

Coconut condensed milk makes it dairy-free with a coconut note. Sugar plus a little cream works but lacks the cooked-milk flavor.

Whole milk

Coconut milk gives a richer, tropical version. Skim milk makes it thinner and icier.

Ice

Freeze the avocado flesh in chunks and skip the ice for a denser, ice-cream-like texture.

Variations

Coffee avocado

Blend in 30 ml of chilled strong coffee for a café-style twist.

Jackfruit avocado

Add a few pieces of jackfruit to the blend for an extra tropical aroma.

Troubleshooting

Tastes bitter

The avocado was overripe or had brown fibers. Use bright green flesh only and add a touch more condensed milk.

Grainy texture

The avocado was underripe. Let avocados ripen at room temperature for a few days until they yield to gentle pressure.

Turns brown in the glass

Avocado oxidizes over time. Serve within minutes, or add 1 tsp lime juice, which slows browning slightly but adds tartness.

Storage

Serve immediately. The drink browns and thickens as it sits, and because it contains milk it should be refrigerated if not consumed right away and finished the same day.