Indonesian Sweet Soy Kecap Sauce with Chili and Palm Sugar

Sweet kecap soy sauce with chili and palm sugar is a staple in my fridge and it has been for many years. I love a good dipping sauce on the side of my meals. I like peanut sauce, rujak sauce, sweet and sour, but this spicy sweet soy sauce is my first choice for many dishes.

The Indonesian-style sauce combines a sweet, molasses-like flavor from the palm sugar with a spicy kick from the sambal chili paste.

The sweet soy sauce adds a rich, umami depth, making it taste amazing with almost anything. Dip your fried snacks in it, or use it on dishes like fried rice, satay, or your vegetables.

Storing Leftover Sauce

Store any leftovers in a clean, airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Always use clean utensils to handle the sauce. Freezing is not recommended.

Indonesian Ingredients

You can get the authentic ingredients to make this sauce, like kecap manis soy sauce and gula jawa palm sugar, at your local Asian grocery store or online at Amazon.

You can purchase ready-made sambal oelek, of make your own. Only 3 ingredients and 10 minutes of your time with my simple sambal recipe.

Kecap Manis is a sweet, thick soy sauce commonly used in Indonesian dishes. It’s known for its rich, caramelized sweetness, thanks to the palm sugar it contains. While the ABC brand is quite popular, I use the Kaki Tiga brand because it was my grandmother’s favorite. She swore by it, so I follow her lead. 🙂 Just a heads-up, it can be a bit tricky to find in the US, but Amazon does have it.

Gula Jawa, also known as Indonesian palm sugar, is a natural sweetener made from the sap of palm trees. It has a rich, caramel-like flavor with hints of molasses, making it a staple in Indonesian cuisine for adding depth and complexity to both sweet and savory dishes. You can use coconut or brown sugar as substitutes.