Sambal Kecap, Indonesian Chile and Sweet Soy Sambal
Sambal kecap is the simplest and most common sambal on an Indonesian table, the one that appears next to grilled tempeh, tofu, and vegetables without any cooking at all. It is built on kecap manis, the thick sweet soy sauce that flavors half of Javanese cooking, cut with raw chile, shallot, lime, and often a little tomato. Since kecap manis is just soy sauce reduced with palm sugar, it rebuilds easily from tamari and blended dates, keeping the dark sweetness without the refined sugar. Everything else stays raw and sharp. Make it a few minutes ahead so the aromatics soften into the soy, and spoon it over anything that needs a sweet-hot lift.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Low-sodium tamari
- 2 Medjool dates, pitted
- 3 Thai bird chiles, thinly sliced
- 2 Shallots, thinly sliced
- 4 Cherry tomatoes, finely diced
- 1 tbsp Lime juice
Method
- Blend the pitted dates with the tamari and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) hot water into a thick, syrupy sauce. This is the homemade stand-in for kecap manis, which is nothing but soy sauce cooked down with palm sugar until dark and sweet.
- Stir in the sliced chile, shallot, tomato, and lime juice, all raw. Keeping them raw is the point of a sambal kecap: the shallot stays crisp and the chile keeps its sharp bite against the sweet, dark soy.
- Let it stand 10 minutes before serving. The shallot and chile bleed into the soy and soften, and the sauce pulls together into one thing instead of separate parts.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 25 calories, 1 g protein, 1 g fiber, 250 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
