Prep 1 min · Cook 8 to 10 mins · Total 8 to 10 mins · Servings makes about 1/2 cup (5 to 8 uses) · Difficulty Moderate
For about 1/2 cup nước màu
Ingredients
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup water, for the caramel
1/3 cup hot water, for the deglaze
A small pinch of salt, optional, to round the finish
Equipment
Small heavy-bottomed saucepan, light-colored interior so you can read the color
Heatproof spatula
Clean glass jar with tight lid
Candy thermometer, optional but useful
Combine sugar and water
Add the sugar and 1/3 cup water to a small saucepan over medium heat
Stir only at the start to moisten the sugar evenly, until it looks like wet sand
Cook to deep amber
Stop stirring once the sugar dissolves
Swirl the pan gently as needed to even out the color
Cook through the stages, clear to pale gold to amber to deep amber brown, the color of dark maple syrup or strong steeped tea, not espresso
With a thermometer, pull at 370 to 380°F
The window between deep amber and burnt is short, maybe 15 seconds, so stay at the pan
Deglaze with hot water
Off heat, pour the 1/3 cup hot water in slowly, in small additions, holding the pan away from yourself
The caramel will bubble hard and seize briefly, this is normal
Return to low heat and stir until the caramel dissolves into a smooth dark liquid
Stir in the optional salt pinch if using
Cool and store
Cool fully in the pan, then transfer to a clean glass jar with a tight lid
Refrigerate, the sauce keeps 1 to 3 months, the safe working window for normal home use is 1 to 2 months
Use a clean dry spoon every time
If it turns cloudy, smells off, or develops anything unusual, throw it out
Use
1 to 1 1/2 tbsp per kho dish (thịt kho, sườn ram mặn, cá kho)
1/2 to 1 tsp added to grilled pork marinades for color (sườn nướng, thịt nướng)
A few drops in stocks or braises for backbone color
Notes
The pull color is the entire game, deep amber brown is dark maple syrup or strong tea, mahogany is the next stop and goes bitter fast, espresso color is burnt
Use a light-colored saucepan interior so you can read the color, dark stainless or cast iron hides the stage transitions
Hot water at the deglaze is non-negotiable, cold water will seize the caramel into a glass shard you cannot dissolve
Pour the deglaze water slowly, the bubble-up is violent, keep your hand and face back
If the sugar crystallizes on the pan walls during the cook (white grainy patches), the batch is going to seize, pull and discard, do not try to save it
Caramel cools harder than it pours, so make it slightly thinner than you want at storage temp
A pinch of salt at the end rounds the caramel without sweetening it, optional but worth trying once
Lighter pulls (amber, not deep amber) are fine for chè and dessert syrups, save deep amber for kho dishes where the color matters
