Alternative names | Kecap manis |
---|---|
Type | Cooking sauce and condiment |
Place of origin | Indonesia |
Region or state | Java |
Created by | Indonesians |
Main ingredients | Fermented soy sweetened with palm sugar molasses |
Variations | Soy sauce, mild sweet soy sauce |
Sweet soy sauce (Indonesian : kecap manis) is a sweetened aromatic soy sauce, originating in Indonesia, which has a darker color, a viscous syrupy consistency, and a molasses-like flavor due to the generous addition of palm sugar or jaggery. [1] Kecap manis is widely used with satay. It is similar to, though finer in flavor than, Chinese Tianmian sauce (tianmianjiang). [1] It is by far the most popular type of soy sauce employed in Indonesian cuisine and accounts for an estimated 90 percent of the nation's total soy sauce production. [2]
Compared to kecap asin, the mildly salty regular soy sauce, the sweet soy sauce has a slightly thicker consistency and tastes much sweeter. This condiment is made from a fermented paste of boiled black soybeans, roasted grain, salt, water, and Aspergillus wentii mold, to which palm sugar is added. [3] The strong sweet taste is contributed by a generous amount of palm sugar — the sauce may contain up to 50 percent gula merah or gula jawa (palm sugar jaggery). Indonesian sweet soy sauce is often enriched with spices, including star anise, cinnamon, black pepper, coriander, and clove. [2]
Kecap manis is an essential sauce in the Indonesian pantry. It is used to add a pleasantly mild sweet and umami flavor to most popular Indonesian dishes, including nasi goreng , mie goreng , kwetiau goreng , ayam kecap (roasted chicken), babi kecap (braised pork), semur beef stew, and ketoprak . It is also a popular marinade for grilled dishes, such as satay, ayam bakar (grilled chicken), and ikan bakar (grilled fish). Sweet soy sauce is also a popular dipping sauce, mixed with chopped shallot and bird's eye chili and served as a dipping sauce for tahu goreng (fried tofu). Steamed rice topped with fried egg and drizzled with sweet soy sauce was a popular meal among Indonesians in the 1990s and 2000s, especially children. In Eastern Indonesia, sweet soy sauce is used as the ingredient of colo-colo dipping sauce, although traditionally this Maluku sauce uses black-colored rendered coconut oil residue.
In Indonesia, there are large numbers of sweet soy sauce brands. Kecap manis is traditionally a small-scale home industry. However there are a handful of brands that are widely distributed throughout Indonesia and regionally, such as kecap manis ABC, [4] Kecap Bango , [3] Indofood, and Sedaap. [5] [6]
Besides the national brands, there are numerous regional brands, such as Ikan Lele in Pati, Mirama in Semarang, Orang Jual Sate in Probolinggo, Siong Hin (SH) in Tangerang, Tomat Lombok in Tegal, etc. [7] More or less, there are a hundred regional brands of kecap manis. [8]
Some brands distribute widely in the Netherlands like Conimex, [9] Inproba, [10] Kaki Tiga, and "A" Trade Mark.[ citation needed ]
Sweet soy sauce is widely available in Indonesian marketplaces, warungs , minimarkets, supermarkets, toko , and Asian grocery stores worldwide. However, it is quite hard to find in most parts of Europe (except for the Netherlands, UK, and Germany) and also quite scarce in the Americas. Sweet soy sauce can be made from regular soy sauce. Regular soy sauce mixed with brown sugar, added with a trace of molasses, can serve as a substitute for sweet soy sauce. [11]
Satay, or sate in Indonesia, is a Javanese dish of seasoned, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. Satay originated in Java, but has spread throughout Indonesia, into Southeast Asia, Europe, America, and beyond.
Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions that formed in the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 populated islands of the total 17,508 in the world's largest archipelago, with more than 1,300 ethnic groups.
Malay cuisine is the traditional food of the ethnic Malays of Southeast Asia, residing in modern-day Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei, Southern Thailand and the Philippines as well as Cocos Islands, Christmas Island, Sri Lanka and South Africa.
Rijsttafel, a Dutch word that literally translates to "rice table", is an Indonesian elaborate meal adapted by the Dutch following the hidang presentation of nasi padang from the Padang region of West Sumatra. It consists of many side dishes served in small portions, accompanied by rice prepared in several different ways. Popular side dishes include egg rolls, sambals, satay, fish, fruit, vegetables, pickles, and nuts. In most areas where it is served, such as the Netherlands, and other areas of strong Dutch influence, it is known under its Dutch name.
Chinese Indonesian cuisine is characterized by the mixture of Chinese with local Indonesian style. Chinese Indonesians, mostly descendant of Han ethnic Hokkien and Hakka speakers, brought their legacy of Chinese cuisine, and modified some of the dishes with the addition of Indonesian ingredients, such as kecap manis, palm sugar, peanut sauce, chili, santan and local spices to form a hybrid Chinese-Indonesian cuisine. Some of the dishes and cakes share the same style as in Malaysia and Singapore, known as Nyonya cuisine by the Peranakan.
Javanese cuisine is the cuisine of Javanese people, a major ethnic group in Indonesia, more precisely the province of Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java.
Sundanese cuisine is the cuisine of the Sundanese people of Western Java, and Banten, Indonesia. It is one of the most popular foods in Indonesia. Sundanese food is characterised by its freshness; the famous lalab eaten with sambal and also karedok demonstrate the Sundanese fondness for fresh raw vegetables. Unlike the rich and spicy taste, infused with coconut milk and curry of Minangkabau cuisine, the Sundanese cuisine displays the simple and clear taste; ranged from savoury salty, fresh sourness, mild sweetness, to hot and spicy.
Semur is an Indonesian meat stew braised in thick brown gravy. It is commonly found in Indonesian cuisine. The main ingredients in the gravy are sweet soy sauce, shallots, onions, garlic, ginger, candlenut, nutmeg, and cloves.
Bumbu is the Indonesian word for a blend of spices and for pastes and it commonly appears in the names of spice mixtures, sauces and seasoning pastes. The official Indonesian language dictionary describes bumbu as "various types of herbs and plants that have a pleasant aroma and flavour — such as ginger, turmeric, galangal, nutmeg and pepper — used to enhance the flavour of the food."
Colo-colo is an acidic condiment commonly found in Maluku archipelago, Indonesia. It is believed to have originated in Ambon city, and accordingly is often described as Ambon's sambal. Colo-colo is similar to Manado's dabu-dabu, as they both use many chopped red chili peppers, bird's eye chili, shallots, red and green tomatoes, and a pinch of salt and sugar, mixed with fresh calamansi juice or locally known as lemon cui or jeruk kesturi. The main difference is that colo-colo recipe often includes additional ingredients, such as chopped lemon basil, kenari nut, and tahi minyak or ampas minyak, or caramelized rarobang. As a result, colo-colo is darker and more oily than dabu-dabu.
Ayam goreng is an Indonesian and Malaysian dish consisting of deep-fried chicken in oil. Ayam goreng literally means "fried chicken" in Malay, Indonesian and also in many Indonesian regional languages. Unlike other countries, Indonesian fried chicken usually uses turmeric and garlic as its main ingredients rather than flour.
Ayam bakar is an Indonesian and Malay dish, consisting of charcoal-grilled chicken. Ayam bakar literally means "grilled chicken" in Indonesian and Malay.
Ikan goreng is a hot dish consisting of deep fried fish or other forms of seafood. Ikan goreng literally means "fried fish" in Indonesian and Malay languages.
Ikan bakar is an Indonesian and Malay dish, prepared with charcoal-grilled fish or other forms of seafood. Ikan bakar literally means "grilled fish" in Indonesian and Malay. Ikan bakar differs from other grilled fish dishes in that it often contains flavorings like bumbu, kecap manis, sambal, and is covered in a banana leaf and cooked on a charcoal fire.
Ayam kecap or ayam masak kicap is an Indonesian Javanese chicken dish poached or simmered in sweet soy sauce commonly found in Indonesia, and Malaysia
Babi kecap is an Indonesian braised pork with sweet soy sauce. It is a Chinese Indonesian classic, due to its simplicity and popularity among Chinese Indonesian households. It is also popular among non-Muslim Indonesians, such as the Balinese, Ambonese, Bataks, Minahasans, and Dayaks, and in the Netherlands among the Indo-Dutch, where it is known as babi ketjap, owing to colonial ties with Indonesia. In the Netherlands, the dish might also be served within an opulent rijsttafel banquet.
Ayam bumbu rujak is a typical Indonesian Javanese food made from chicken meat which is still young and uses a red basic spice then grilled. A red base is a spice made from salt, garlic, onion, and red chili. Called seasoning rujak because there are many spices besides chili, including brown sugar which is commonly used in fruit rojak sauce. Ayam bumbu rujak often called ayam bakar bumbu rujak since it is grilled, thus often regarded as one variant of various ayam bakar recipes.
Madurese cuisine is the culinary tradition of the Madurese people from Madura Island in Indonesia. This cuisine is particularly well-known in the neighboring areas of East Java, as well as on the south coast of Kalimantan. As a leading salt production center in the Indonesian archipelago, Madurese dishes are often saltier compared to Eastern Javanese cuisine, although with significant Javanese influences.
Indo cuisine is a fusion cooking and cuisine tradition, mainly existing in Indonesia and the Netherlands, as well as Belgium, South Africa and Suriname. This cuisine characterized of fusion cuisine that consists of original Indonesian cuisine with Eurasian-influences—mainly Dutch, also Portuguese, Spanish, French and British—and vice versa. Nowaday, not only Indo people consume Indo cuisine, but also Indonesians and Dutch people.
Kecap manis Indonesian cuisine.