Recently I wanted to make an Asian dish that called for Kecap Manis, the sweet soy sauce that’s an essential ingredient in so much Indonesian and Malaysian food.
While gluten-free soy sauce is readily available these days, gluten-free Kecap Manis is still a bit of a rarity, although, as I’ve since discovered, it’s a piece of cake to make a pretty good version at home.
Sweet soy sauce is not only an essential ingredient in all those Asian dishes, it can also provide an instant flavour hit drizzled over some pan-fried fish or stir-fried vegetables.
Jan
Gluten-Free Kecap Manis
125 ml water
250 gm palm sugar or dark brown sugar
2 cloves of garlic, pressed with the side of a knife
2 star anise
125 ml tamari or rich gluten-free soy sauce
Heat water and sugar in a saucepan, stirring till sugar dissolves.
Add garlic and star anise, bring to the boil and continue cooking for around 30 minutes to caramelise and reduce the sugar, watching carefully to make sure the bubbling lava doesn’t lift out of the pan, which it will try to do!
When the caramel is thick and syrupy, carefully add the soy sauce. Cook for a further 5 minutes, strain, cool and pour into a sterilised jar. This makes around 300ml of sauce which, refrigerated, keeps well for months.