Vietnamese Caramel Cooking Sauce (Nuoc Mau)
Vietnamese caramel sauce, used in many savory caramelized dishes (Món Ăn Khô), adds color to meat. Here’s how to make a large batch at home to simplify your Vietnamese cooking.
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 1 serving
- Difficulty
- EASY
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/4 cup water + 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- 1
Using a light-colored and heavy-bottomed saucepan that’s at least 4 inches in height, add sugar and 1/4 cup water. Give it a quick swirl to even out the sugar.
- 2
Heat on medium-high for about 5-8 minutes. At this point you should start to see the sugar breaking down and changing color. Continue to cook for another 5-8 minutes until the sugar begins smoking and turns a dark amber color. Make sure not to cook for too long or else it will turn black and burnt. However, the sugar may appear black in the saucepan. To accurately gauge the color, examine the caramel sauce on the back of a spoon.
- 3
Once you get a deep amber color, turn off the heat. Slowly, very slowly, pour 1/2 cup of water into the saucepan. The combination of water and hot sugar will splatter violently so do this part very carefully and slowly.
- 4
For safety and cleanliness, I highly recommend transferring the saucepan into an empty sink before adding water. Once you add the water, give it a quick mix. Allow it to cool slightly before transferring it to a glass container. The caramel sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. The sauce can be stored in the pantry for months or years, really. There is no need for refrigeration.