After you’ve mastered making nước chấm, the ubiquitous fish sauce dipping sauce, step up to master Vietnamese caramel sauce. It’s not for topping ice cream, but for savory dishes. Called nước màu in southern Vietnam and nước hang in northern Vietnam, it’s key for lots of Viet comfort foods.
You can use substitutes like I indicate in Vietnamese Food Any Day. But in all honesty, if you push yourself a little, you'll get a superb dish if you use caramel sauce.
You can also make this Viet pantry ingredient yourself but people fear making caramel. Even Viet people like one of my sisters. Traditionally, Vietnamese caramel sauce is made by pouring boiling water into the caramelized sugar, a somewhat dangerous step that causes the mixture to bubble and spew dramatically. You don’t have to do that.
I use a method to immediately arrests the cooking, so that the sugar doesn’t burn to a bitter black stage. The result is the same bittersweet, inky sauce that is a staple in every Vietnamese kitchen.
How to Make Vietnamese Caramel Sauce
On this post, I'm sharing my caramel sauce recipe from Vietnamese Food Any Day (below). It's loaded with details but in case you want extra visual assistance, I made this video. First, a caveat: This is a casual video, so my apologies for the uneven audio. I'm a one-person operation. That said, I think you'll learn lots to get you going on making a Viet staple. Here we go!
Ideas for Using Caramel Sauce
In my books, Vietnamese Food Any Day (VFAD) and Into the Vietnamese Kitchen (IVK), you’ll find lots of recipes that call for caramel sauce.
In IVK, check the poultry, seafood and meat (pork and beef) chapters. Most of the recipes are kho styles of simmered dishes, often times titled as something cooked in caramel sauce, for example, chicken and ginger simmered in caramel sauce on page 82 in IVK. Earlier this year, I shared IVK’s ribs in caramel sauce recipe on this website.
As you’re paging through VFAD, look for shrimp in coconut caramel sauce (page 107), crispy caramelized pork crumbles (photo below, page 132), braised pork and eggs in coconut caramel sauce (page 133), and Hanoi-style bacon and grilled pork rice noodle bowls (page 201, where the sauce is used in a marinade).
On Viet World Kitchen, when you’re making Red Boat Fish Sauce’s pork belly in caramel sauce recipe, use 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce as I offer in the recipe Note.
Another great one is the trout and orange in caramel sauce recipe. It's something my parents cooked up for me years ago and it's just delicious. Trout is an easy, manageable whole fish that superbly takes to traditional Viet cooking.
Dishes that are simmered or braised with caramel sauce keep very well so you can make a batch (or double up) and eat it over days!
Caramel Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons water plus ¼ cup
- ⅛ teaspoon unseasoned rice, apple, or distilled white vinegar (optional, but highly encouraged to prevent crystalization)
- ½ cup cane sugar
Instructions
- Fill the sink (or a large bowl or pot) with enough water to come halfway up the sides of the saucepan. In the saucepan, combine the 2 tablespoons water, vinegar (if using), and sugar. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula or metal spoon; when the sugar has nearly or fully dissolved, stop stirring.
- Let the sugar syrup bubble vigorously for 5 to 6 minutes, until it takes on the shade of light tea. Turn the heat to medium-low to stabilize the cooking. Turn on the exhaust to vent the inevitable smoke. (Don’t worry if sugar crystallizes on the pan wall. But if things get crusty in the bubbling sugar syrup, add another drop of vinegar to correct it.) For even cooking, you may occasionally lift and swirl the saucepan.
- Cook the syrup for about 2 minutes longer, until it is the color of dark tea. The next 1 to 2 minutes are critical because the sugar will darken by the second. Monitor the cooking and, to control the caramelization, frequently pick up the saucepan and slowly swirl the syrup. When a dark reddish cast sets in—think the color of Pinot Noir—let the sugar cook a few seconds longer to a color between Cabernet and black coffee.
- Remove from the heat and place the pan in the water to stop the cooking. Expect the pan bottom to sizzle upon contact. Leaving the pan in the sink, add the remaining ¼ cup water. The sugar will seize up, which is okay. When the dramatic bubbling reaction stops, return the pan to medium-high heat, and cook briefly, stirring to loosen and dissolve the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat and return to the water in the sink for about 1 minute, stirring, to stop the cooking process and cool the caramel sauce to room temperature.
- Use the sauce immediately, or transfer to a small heatproof glass jar, let cool completely, and then cap and store in a cool, dark place indefinitely.
Nga says
I know this is important sauce in all Vietnamese cooking, but since becoming diabtic 2, I cannot used sugar evn thou seems every recipes call for sugar. Do you have any suggestion for diabetic? Maybe next cookbook for diabetic only.
Andrea Nguyen says
I'm not expert on diabetic recipes. Sorry!
Thi Bach Nga says
Thanks for the video. That's the first time I needed to do it myself after my mom past away two years back and it worked out perfectly. Thanks to the great color explanations in your video and the amounts. My mom probably would have said a bit of this and a bit of that.....
Andrea Nguyen says
You're so very welcome! Glad the video and recipe helped!
Sue R says
I have a copy of your VFAD on it's way! Can't wait.
Kendra K says
I have your cookbook, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen and absolutely love it! I just made the Carmel sauce and I’m afraid I went too far with the cooking. Can you describe the flavor it should have? How bitter should it be? How can I tell if I went too far?
I appreciate the updates to the recipe here. I did have trouble with crystallization and will try the vinegar next time.
Thank you so much for these recipes you have brought to light!
Andrea Nguyen says
It should be bittersweet, Kendra. So pleasant but not. You can always add sugar when you use it for recipes in IVK. Thank you for using the book and circling back to this website for more information!
Sangeeta Ray says
will the lamb be cooked?
Andrea Nguyen says
Sorry, I don't understand your question. There is no lamb in this recipe.
Kendra Kurihara says
I have your book Into the Vietnamese Kitchen and absolutely love it! Thank you. My question is, how do I tell if I’ve cooked the sauce much? Can you describe the taste? Mine has a rich dark color, but it is also very bitter. Did I burn it? Thank you so much!
Kendra
Andrea Nguyen says
It should be bittersweet. You can always tweak it with sugar in the recipes. That's what I do. Thank you for using IVK -- my first born!
Jacqueline Hawthorne says
Not sure I got it right but it looks good. Thankyou
Andrea Nguyen says
I'm sure you did! Thank you!
Michael T. says
So glad I found your caramel sauce video. I have tried making this in the past, following a written recipe, but was never sure what to look for or, more, what to do after the caramel seizes on addition of the water. Now I know and CANNOT wait to try this. Thank you very much. I am a huge fan of yours.
Andrea Nguyen says
You're very welcome! Glad to be of assistance.
Jonathan says
Your recipe makes me remember the nice time when I travel in Vietnam, and my friends mother cooked this Vietnamese caramel sauce then she stored to use many different dishes. It's like a magical to make engaging of food. I enjoyed the way Vietnamese use this caramel sauce to cook pork and shrimp.
Andrea Nguyen says
It is magical stuff, Jonathan. I'm happy to know that you have fond memories of traveling in Vietnam. And now, you're creating more good food memories at home!
Lindsay Geller says
This looks delicious! I was wondering if anyone ever makes bhan mi with caramel sauce? Thank you so much!
Andrea Nguyen says
Yes! You'd use it in marinades. In the Banh Mi Handbook, I have a recipe that deploys the caramel sauce for a filling. Thanks for asking!
Rebecca says
Did the video link get deleted? I keep searching but I don't see it. Thank you so much!
Andrea Nguyen says
It should be there, Rebecca. Refresh your browser or try another browser. I've tested on Chrome, Edge and Safari. Sorry for the inconvience.
Doug says
Delete above comment.
Please delete the above comment :)\
Thanks
Doug
Andrea Nguyen says
Will do, Doug!
ST says
Can this be used for ca kho to ?
Andrea Nguyen says
Yes it can!