Step 1

Heat the sugar and 4 Tbsp of the water in a small saucepan on medium heat. Stir the sugar to help it dissolve, then leave it untouched for a good 5 minutes. Bubbles will start appearing at the edges, slowly moving in to the middle.

Step 2

When the whole surface of the caramel is covered in bubbles, reduce the heat to medium-low and leave to cook until it changes colour to a light golden brown. You may need to swirl the mixture if it starts browning only on one side, because of hot spots on the base of the pan.Stir in the gula melaka and keep a close eye on it, we are going for medium -dark coffee coloured caramel.

Step 3

As soon as the mix starts to turn a darker shade of brown, take it off the heat. I just moved it to a cool hob.

Step 4

Standing away from the saucepan, pour in the rest of the water. Be careful as the hot caramel will splutter. Give it a stir.

Step 5

Add the dark soy sauce and place it back on low heat and bring to a simmer.

Step 6

Cook for another 3 minutes, then take it off the hot hob to cool. I prefer to decant it to a cool jug to stop it from cooking further.Or you can just transfer it to the bottle for storage, ensuring that it's heat proof. Cool to room temperature, then store as described above in the article.