kecap manis

/ˈkɛtʃʌp ˌmɑːnis//kəˈtʃɑːp ˌmɑːnis/

noun

A kind of thick, sweet, and flavourful soy sauce used in Indonesian cuisine.

OriginIndonesian kecap manis ← Peranakan Indonesian ketjap ← Malay manis →
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Meanings

nounkecap manis (uncountable)
  1. uncountableA kind of thick, sweet, and flavourful soy sauce used in Indonesian cuisine.

    First, marinate the tofu. In a bowl, whisk the kecap manis, chilli sauce, and sesame oil together. Cut the tofu into strips about 1cm thick, mix gently (so it doesn't break) with the marinade and leave in the fridge for half an hour.

    2012 May 8, Yotam Ottolenghi, Sami Tamimi, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, Random House, →ISBN, page 79
    2 more examples

    Volatiles of kecap manis and its raw materials were extracted using Likens-Nickerson apparatus with diethyl ether as the extraction solvent. The extracts were then dried with anhydrous sodium sulfate, concentrated using a rotary evaporator followed by flushing using nitrogen until the volume was about 0.5 ml.

    1997, A. J. Taylor, D. S. Mothram, editors, Flavour Science: Recent Developments, Elsevier, →ISBN, page 63

    You could just use ordinary shop-bought kecap manis to marinade the meat, but making your own is easy, has a far more elegant fragrance and is, above all, such a great brag! Flavouring kecap manis is an intensely personal thing, so try this version now and next time cook the sauce down with crushed, split lemongrass and a shredded lime leaf.

    2015 October 27, Matt Preston, The Simple Secrets to Cooking Everything Better, Plum, →ISBN, page 192

Origin

  1. Malaymanis
  2. Peranakan Indonesianketjap
  3. Indonesiankecap manis
  4. Englishkecap manis

From Indonesian kecap manis (literally “sweet soy sauce”), from kecap + manis, with Indonesian kecap from Peranakan Indonesian ketjap & Indonesian manis from Malay manis.

More words from Indonesian, Peranakan Indonesian, Malay

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch ketjap manis
  • ketjap manisvariety of soy sauce
Indonesian kecap manis
  • kecap manisvariety of soy sauce
Malay kicap manis
  • kicap manisvariety of soy sauce
Cite this entry
APA

kecap manis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kecap%20manis

MLA

“kecap manis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kecap%20manis. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kecap manis,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kecap%20manis.

Source: kecap manis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.