The Spice Islands Pantry

Credit: James Oseland

Displaying 2 of 11

2. KECAP MANIS (Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce) Made of soy sauce brewed with palm sugar, kecap manis (pronounced keh-CHOP mah-NEESE) possesses an enticing, sweet-salty taste. Banda's cooks use it as a dipping sauce, a marinade, and, perhaps best of all, a flavoring in stews such as Ikan Bumbu Rujak. Of the numerous brands available in Southeast Asian markets, the finest is Cap Bango, from the Indonesian island of Java; its taste is exquisitely smoky.