A soy caramel sauce bridges Western caramel technique with Asian flavours. Begin by making a dry or wet caramel with sugar, cooking it to a deep golden amber. The key comparison, as used in professional kitchens, is to a classic duck à l'orange: you build a caramel, then stop the cooking by adding liquid. Here, instead of orange juice, you deglaze with fish sauce and light soy sauce, which creates an intensely savoury-sweet base. Lime juice is then essential to cut through the richness and add a bright sour note that balances everything. A small amount of cornflour slurry thickens the sauce to a glossy consistency that coats the chicken beautifully rather than running off the plate.