Region: Southeast Asia
Country: Indonesia (and neighboring countries)

Indonesian
sweetened soy sauce

Kecap manis (Indonesian)
Ketjap manis (Dutch)

Indonesian signature sweetness

Kecap manis, a thick and sweet Indonesian soy sauce, differs significantly from regular soy sauce due to its molasses-like consistency and caramelized flavor. While regular soy sauce is salty and thin, kecap manis combines soy sauce with palm sugar, resulting in a syrupy texture that enhances a variety of dishes with its unique sweetness.

This distinctive ingredient is often used in Indonesian cooking to add depth and richness to marinades, stir-fries, and dipping sauces. ‘Manis’ means sweet in Indonesian.

The history of kecap manis is deeply rooted in Indonesian culinary traditions, with its origins tracing back to the 19th century. It was developed as a variation of traditional Chinese soy sauce, adapted to suit local Indonesian tastes by incorporating native palm sugar. Over time, it became a staple in Indonesian kitchens, symbolizing the fusion of indigenous and Chinese culinary influences that characterize much of Southeast Asian cuisine.

In Malaysia and Singapore, kecap manis is used in certain dishes as well and is known as kicap manis. The term ‘kicap’ and ‘kecap’ are the Malay/Indonesian words for sauce, which are derived from the Hokkien word for fish sauce 膎汁 (kê-chiap). The similarity with the word ‘ketchup’ is not coincidental, as it is also a cognate of the same word. Exactly how the word entered the English language is not known, but one of the many theories is that it was introduced via Malay.

Kecap manis
(Indonesian sweetened soy sauce)

Recipe by Chef Franky BuzCuisine: IndonesianDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

With regular soy sauce and palm sugar, you can create a simple homemade kecap manis.

Ingredients

250 ml/1 cup of soy sauce
220 gr/1 cup of palm sugar
2 pieces of star anise
cloves
5 thin slices of ginger
2 cloves of garlic

Directions

Put all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and stir well.
Slowly bring the mixture to a boil and let it simmer for 8 minutes.
Let the sauce cool and sieve into a clean bottle or jar. Homemade kecap manis stays good for about 3 months and can be stored in the refrigerator.

Notes

If you can’t find palm sugar (gula jawa), brown sugar is a good alternative.
Soy sauce mixed with honey gives a similar syrupy and sweet effect, in case Indonesian ingredients are hard to find.

Check out more Indonesian Recipes!