Kecap is a fermented sauce, specifically soy sauce, with two main styles: kecap manis and kecap asin. Kecap manis is sweet and dark, while kecap asin is salty and mild. Both are used in Indonesian cuisine and can be found in Asian markets.
In Indonesian, kecap is a term that simply means “fermented sauce,” but it has been used specifically to mean soy sauce. There are two main styles of Indonesian soy sauce, kecap manis and kecap asin. Both are widely available in Asian markets and are definitely worth trying, as they have unique flavors designed to complement Indonesian food perfectly.
Like other soy sauces, kecap is made by fermenting soybeans with salt and other ingredients to create a distinctively flavored liquid. Incidentally, it’s probably the fermented sauce that inspired the ketchup’s flavor and name; early forms of ketchup were made with an assortment of fermented ingredients, rather than tomatoes. It can be sprinkled on food or added to food as it cooks to bring out the desired flavour.
Kecap asin is a salty soy sauce with a relatively mild flavor. If a recipe calls for this soy sauce and a cook is having trouble finding it, they can use Japanese usukuchi shoyu or regular light soy sauce. Because it is naturally very salty, cooks should go easy on the salt when including this sauce in a dish to ensure they don’t overwhelm their diners with saltiness. Kecap asin can also take a moment to fully develop its flavor in a dish; best practice is to add a small amount, let the dish sit for a moment, taste, and adjust flavor as needed.
Kecap manis is a very unique form of soy sauce. It’s made with the addition of palm sugar, which adds a very sweet flavor that makes the sauce look a bit like molasses. It also looks like molasses; it is extremely dense and dark. Other ingredients such as star anise and garlic are sometimes added to enhance the flavor; in a situation where a cook needs this version and can’t find any, he can try giving molasses mixed with dark soy sauce a shot.
Indonesian cuisine has a number of fermented ingredients, much like the cuisine of other regions of Asia. When handled well, these ingredients can keep for a long time, making them ideal in hot, humid climates. Many cultures have also developed a taste for fermented foods ranging from kimchi to kecap asin, and it’s possible to find unique regional dishes that showcase these ingredients. When someone tastes an Indonesian dish and has trouble identifying the flavor, it might be kecap; people can ask the cook, as cooks are often happy to share ingredients with curious diners.
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