You can totally sweeten honey using sugar, which will result in a rudimentary form of kecap manis, a popular Indonesian sweetened soy sauce. However, to get good flavor out of this sugar-sweetened ...

Sweet soy sauce, on the other hand, also known as kecap manis, is super popular in Indonesian kitchens and is known for its sweet-salty mix that plays a key role in many regional cuisines.

It’s not just soy sauce, which would be one-dimen­sional and far too salty. I like to mix kecap manis – Indonesian thick, dark, sweet soy sauce - with other seasonings.

This piping melange is seasoned with soy, kecap manis, sambal oelek, oyster sauce, and sometimes even tomato sauce. Fry it fast and hot, slap it on a plate and serve. You’re in foodie heaven.

Kecap manis is available at Asian stores and some supermarkets, but it's surprisingly easy to make. If you have trouble sourcing it, I've given the very simple recipe below.