Kecap (or ketjap) manis is a thick, sweet soy sauce with Asian spices. It’s great for Indonesian dishes. Unfortunately its made from soysauce. Therefor its not always glutenfree. Most kecap that you can buy in the store contains grain (wheat). And all types of kecap that I know contain soy.

Make it yourself!

But luckily you can replace kecap manis. How? By simply making glutenfree and soyfree kecap yourself! This also makes this kecap AIP Paleo and Medical Medium friendly.

What is kecap manis?

Kecap (or ketjap as we call it in Holland) is a seasoning from the Indonesian cuisine. It is actually nothing more than reduced soy sauce with molasses, coconut blossom or palm sugar. Flavors such as star anise, cinnamon and ginger are added, which gives it kecap its distinct characteristics. The spiced is what makes kecap completely different than regular soy sauce.

Glutenfree kecap

More and more gluten-free ketjap is appearing on the shelves of supermarkets, at least in Holland. This kecap is generally made from tamari. For tamari, no wheat is used in the fermentation process. But tamari still has a soy base.

Soyfree ‘soy sauce’

Soy sauce without soy…? That sounds a bit like sugarfree candy floss. But it does exist. The soyfree alternative to soy sauce is coconut aminos. That is also fermented and has a similar umami flavor. Its just a little bit sweeter. The base is the juice of the coconut flower.

Make your own kecap manis

I don’t know of any ketjap manis in the store that is made from coconut aminos. But fortunately it is quite easy to make yourself. The only thing you really have to pay attention to is that the sauce gets very hot and does not cool down quickly. Similar to when you make caramel yourself. So make sure you don’t burn yourself!

Variations

I have made kecap in different variations. You can do that easily because you make the ketjap yourself: you can determine which flavors you add. This allows you to keep the flavor Indonesian but also give it a Japanese or Chinese twist. The basic recipe is based on a simple kecap that you can use in all kinds of ways.

Deeper Indonesian flavour

Do you want a deeper Indonesian flavour? Then grind 1 or 2 kemiri nuts and add them together with a piece of trassi and Indonesian bay leaf (daun salaam).

Note: kemiri nuts are poisonous and cannot be eaten raw! Bringing them to the boil is therefore not only important for thickening the sauce, but also to ensure that the kemiri nuts become harmless!

Thai: fresh and spicy

For a fresher and at the same time spicy flavour (more Thai) you can think of some lime zest and a bruised stalk of sereh (lemongrass). And (if you do not eat AIP Paleo) some red pepper or chili flakes.

Chinese

Do you want a deeper Chinese flavour? Then use a combination of black and Szechuan pepper (again not AIP).

Japanese

For a Japanese twist you can think of a few drops of sesame oil.

Thicker sauces towards hoisin and oyster sauce

You can make a replacement ofor yster sauce by adding a little arrowroot and some fish sauce. For hoisin you can think of almond paste and tahini for extra thickness and flavor. Add fish sauce, almond paste and sesame oil at the end or it will burn.

Homemade glutenfree and soyfree Indonesian sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) – AIP and vegan

ME (Marjolein Eikenboom)

Make your own Indonesian sweet soysauce with coconu tamino's, coconutsugar and Asian spices: glutenfree, soyfree and AIP Paleo friendly.

Rate Pin Print

Cook Time 30

Total Time 30

Free from beef, chicken, fat, fish, grains, legumes, nightshade, nuts, oils, peanuts, pseudograins, seeds

Diet AIP, Medical Medium, Paleo, Vegan

Keyword umami

Cuisine Asian, Indonesian

Course sauces & dips

Servings small bottle

Calories 718

Equipment

(sauce)pan
smaal glass bottle
grater
garlic press

Ingredients

1 cup kokosamino's
2 cups kokosbloesemsuiker + kwart
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp fresh laos galanga
1 tbsp fresh ginger djahé
1 star anise
2 kaffir lemon leaves djeroek poetoet
2 cloves
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 cinnamon stick

Voor AIP en vrij van zaden en nachtschade

NO coriander seeds
NO staranise

Variation: see text above recipe

Instructions

Pour the coconut aminos into the saucepan.
Add the sugar.
Bring just to the boil.
Peel and grate the ginger and galangal. Crush the garlic. Add everything. Then turn down to a simmer. You may see a splatter every now and then.
The base is now ready. You only need to thicken the sauce a bit and season it extra.
Add the star anise. If you are using other spices (see text above the recipe), add them now. For example, a cinnamon stick, lime, lemongrass or kaffir lemon leaves.
Let it simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes on a low heat, just before boiling. Do not leave it away for too long. Stirring occasionally is important.
Turn the heat down. If you want to add almond paste, tahini or fish sauce do it now. Do not let it boil afterwards. Just mix well.
Then let it cool down, also stirring occasionally. You can also add sesame oil now.
Pour into a sealable bottle or jar. If necessary, sift for the star anise and other spices, but you can also just pour these into the jar and sift when using.
Put in the pantry or refrigerator.

Homemade soy and glutenfree Indonesian sweet soysauce (kecap manis) – AIP and vegan