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Caramelizing

Balance sweet and savory on your plate with this sweet, richly flavored sauce. As simple as this sauce is to make, it owes its intriguing character to a number of complex chemical reactions. Food scientists still aren’t quite sure what happens when we caramelize sugar, but they do know that melting sugar to a syrupy consistency changes its color and texture, creating a complex flavor reminiscent of maple syrup and toasted marshmallows. This sort of richness transcends plain, old, sweet, and you can only get it through the process of caramelization. But be careful to keep an eye on the sugar’s temperature; heat the sugar too high and it burns to an acrid, charred mess that isn’t fit to eat.

Adapted from Martin Yan’s Asian Favorites (Ten Speed Press)
Copyright Yan Can Cook Inc. 2006