But without sugarcane molasses, melting sugar with a splash of water to create a caramel glaze worked just fine. Ewan added another spoonful of oyster sauce to the marinade, followed by a small amount of water.
The lid of the earthenware pot was sealed tight, and the entire vessel was buried deep within the glowing, fiercely burning embers.
He started with a roaring fire to bring the meat to a rapid boil. Once the pot bubbled vigorously and steam hissed through the lid's crevices, Ewan quickly raked away the excess coals, leaving only a gentle, smoldering flame to slowly heat the bottom.
Over time, an intoxicating aroma filled the kitchen. It was a heavenly combination of rendering pork fat melding with the caramelized sugar at the bottom of the pot, cut by the warm, spicy kick of ginger and chili. Interwoven within it all was the faint, rustic sweetness of roasted sugarcane bark. The rich aroma lingered stubbornly, twisting its way down to a ferociously rumbling stomach.
