Kecap Manis (Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce)

I received several questions from readers on what kecap manis is. This ingredient is used quite often in my Asian recipes. Well, kecap manis (Ketjap Manis) is an Indonesian sweet soy sauce. Unlike any other soy sauces in the market, this sauce is sweetened with palm sugar and infused with bay leaves and a hint of star anise. It's thick just like molasses and can be stored in your pantry indefinitely.

When I first moved to Canada 10 years ago to pursue my studies, I did not expect to find kecap manis sold in Canada. So I packed bottles of kecap manis in my suitcase in case I was homesick and missed eating something familiar. Surprisingly enough, kecap manis was easily found in most Asian grocery stores and my emergency supply was not even that valuable anymore! Lately, I also notice other local grocery stores such as Loblaws, Canadian Superstore and Metro also have this sauce in their international aisle. There are 2 famous brands that are offered: ABC or Bango brand. Personally, I prefer Bango brand to ABC as it's less sweet.

I have also been noticing several cook books that use "kecap manis" in their recipes, particularly when it comes to Malaysian, Thai and Indonesian recipes. In Indonesia, it is commonly used in nasi goreng (fried rice), mee goreng (fried noodle), stews, soups and dipping sauces. For Javanese, they also like to drizzle kecap manis on their chicken or beef satays.

In case you cannot find kecap manis in your area, then, you can substitute with low sodium soy sauce and add brown sugar to sweeten the sauce. However, it may not have exactly as the flavour kecap manis delivers.