Babi kecap is a popular Indonesian Chinese dish made with kecap manis (a sweet dark soy sauce) and a variety of unique spices.Babi means pork in Indonesian, but more specifically, this Babi kecap is most often made with pork belly.  While most of Indonesia’s population is Muslim (and does not consume pork), babi kecap is popular among non-Muslim Indonesians and as well as the Indo-Dutch in the Netherlands, due to past colonial ties.  The first time we saw and tried this dish was on a cruise buffet line.For those of you who have been on a cruise, the food served on board can be very diverse, with many Asian cultural options, including Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Indian, and Filipino dishes.  The Babi Kecap was a standout for us, and it was a really nice change over the usual Shanghai pork belly dish that Judy often makes for the family.

But best of all, the dish is really easy to make! What is a Kecap Manis? Kecap manis (or ketjap manis) is a thick, syrupy Indonesian sweet soy sauce made from a soy sauce base with palm sugar.Its dark color is similar to Chinese dark soy sauce, but is much sweeter and more viscous.Kecap Manis is available for purchase in most Asian grocery stores as well as online.

If you can’t find it, you can also make your own kecap manis substitute by using ¼ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup dark brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon molasses.Combine everything in a pan over medium heat, bring to a simmer, cool, and use it

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