About this component
Indonesia's thick, molasses-dark sweet soy — the glaze behind nasi goreng, mie goreng and satay. Often bought, it is easily made at home and worth understanding as a flavor, not just a bottle.
Component facts
- Yield
- About 1 cup (240 ml)
- Prep
- 20 minutes
- Heat
- None
Development draft. This is an untested development recipe from the cookbook project. It has not been kitchen-tested, and the quantities and timings are the author’s working draft rather than a verified result.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200 g) palm sugar, chopped
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) soy sauce
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
- 1 star anise (optional)
- 1 slice galangal (optional)
Method
- Melt the palm sugar with the water over low heat until dissolved.
- Add soy sauce and optional aromatics.
- Simmer gently 10–15 minutes until syrupy and coating.
- Cool — it thickens further; strain out aromatics.
Notes from the book
- Balancing
- Deeply sweet and malty; the aromatics add background warmth.
- Substitutions
- Dark brown sugar for palm sugar (less complex); tamari for a wheat-free base.
- Storage and food safety
- Bottle and refrigerate up to 1 month. Contains soy (and usually wheat/gluten).
The Complete Edition
Kecap Manis (Sweet Soy Sauce) sits in the foundations
The book carries this component alongside the other twenty-three, the twenty-seven pantry studies, and the Indonesia chapter it belongs to.
Available from Amazon
- Kindle edition — $9.99 (Kindle Store price) — available now
- Paperback — $49.99 (print list price) — available now