Caramelized Lemongrass Marinade - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons water, divided
1 lemongrass, stalk outer tougher leaves removed and lower two-thirds finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

Heat the sugar and 2 tablespoons of the water in a small saucepan over medium heat and simmer until the sugar starts to caramelize (the liquid will turn a slight yellowish color). At this point insert a metal teaspoon into the liquid and remove to let cool. The liquid on the spoon should become sticky and slightly yellow.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of water and the rest of the ingredients and remove from the heat. Let the marinade cool before applying it to the meat.