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Asian

Kecap Manis

The sweet, syrupy soy sauce of Java, made by melting palm sugar into salty soy sauce and simmering it with star anise, galangal, garlic and salam leaf until it coats the spoon. A small jar to spoon over nasi goreng, satay or grilled fish.

SidesVegan
45 min10 prep · 35 cookEasy685 kcalper serving
Kecap Manis

Method

  1. Chop 150 g of dark palm sugar into small shards so it dissolves evenly. Put it in a small heavy-based saucepan with 100 ml of water and set over medium-low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the sugar has completely melted and no grit remains on the base, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add 1 star anise, 1 salam leaf, 10 g of sliced galangal, 1 clove garlic clove bruised flat with the side of a knife and 1 stalk lemongrass stalk bruised along its length. Let the syrup barely bubble for 5 minutes so the aromatics infuse; it should smell warm and spiced, not caramelised.
  3. Pour in 100 ml of light soy sauce and bring back to the barest simmer. Lower the heat so only a few bubbles break the surface — a hard boil will turn the sugar bitter and make the sauce grainy.

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Per serving

685kcal
11gprotein
167gcarbs
0gfat
1gfibre

Computed from the ingredients against a food database, not estimated. The full nutrient table is in the app.

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