Combine Indonesian flavors with Dutch food, and you get this: an Indonesian-style smoked sausage (rookworst)… basically a super Dutch sausage with an Oriental accent.
It's one of those "small effort, big reward" recipes. You slice a smoked sausage, let it simmer in a sweet-salty kecap sauce with warm spices, and suddenly your kitchen smells like something you'd happily serve at a rice table.
And the best part? This sausage is a total bridge between two worlds. Serve it as part of an Indonesian rijsttafel, or do what I love: put it next to a Dutch stamppot for that extra hit of flavor. I'm going to make it more often… and I'm pretty sure you will too.
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Indonesian Smoked Sausage Sweet Soy Glaze
Classic Dutch rookworst (smoked sausage) is usually warm, sliced, and served "as is" (often with stamppot (mash)). Delicious, but pretty straightforward.
This version braises the sausage in a glossy kecap manis sauce with vinegar, palm sugar, cloves and nutmeg. Same comfort-food feeling, but with that sweet-salty-spiced layer that makes every bite more interesting.
It tastes sweet and savory from the kecap manis, a little tangy from vinegar and has warm spice notes from cloves and nutmeg. The sausage stays juicy, and the sauce turns into a shiny glaze you'll want to spoon over whatever is on your plate.
What You'll Need
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Smoked sausage (kielbasa or rookworst): Use a good smoked sausage with plenty of flavor; this recipe is quick, so the sausage really matters. If it's already fully cooked (most are), you're mainly warming and glazing it.
- Onion + garlic: The base that makes the sauce taste rounded, not just "sweet soy." Chop the onion small so it softens quickly.
- Kecap manis: Sweet Indonesian soy sauce-this is the signature flavor here. It gives the sauce that deep, glossy sweetness. If you love Indonesian cooking, it's a pantry hero.
- White vinegar: A small amount, but it lifts the whole dish. Without it, the sauce can taste too heavy-sweet.
- Palm sugar: Adds caramel warmth (less sharp than white sugar). Brown sugar is the closest "easy" swap if palm sugar isn't available.
- Cloves and nutmeg: Tiny ingredients, big impact. Cloves bring warmth, nutmeg makes it taste extra cozy and "Indo-meets-Dutch."
- Sunflower oil: Just for sautéing-any neutral oil works.
How to Make It
You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe card below.
- Step 1: Heat the pan. Warm oil in a frying pan until hot. Sauté onion and garlic.
- Step 2: Brown the sausage. Add smoked sausage and fry briefly on both sides.
- Step 3: Add the sauce flavors. Stir in kecap manis, vinegar, palm sugar, cloves and nutmeg.
- Step 4: Braise. Put the lid on and let it simmer/braise until the sauce turns glossy and the sausage is heated through.
Top Tips
- Keep the lid on: Braising with the lid helps the flavors melt together and keeps the sausage tender.
- Sauce too thin? Simmer for a couple of minutes with the lid off at the end to reduce it into a glaze.
- Make it "rijsttafel-ready": Serve it in a small bowl with extra sauce so people can spoon it over rice.
Serving suggestions
- Indonesian-style: Part of a rijsttafel with rice and a few other small dishes.
- Dutch-style: With stamppot (mash) for a familiar plate with a twist. Boerenkoolstamppot is a great choice!
- Weeknight easy: With steamed rice and cucumber slices on the side (fresh + crunchy works really well here).
Did you make this delicious recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram! I love to see what your creation looks like and regularly share the most beautiful photos of you! Did you like this recipe? Then leave a rating on the recipe card! Your feedback helps other home cooks and me enormously.
Need more inspiration?
- You can find video recipes on my YouTube channel.
- And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest, so you can easily find them again next time!
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Equipment
- frying pan
Recipe Help
Two easy tools to make cooking even easier. Cooking mode keeps the screen on. The easy-step recipe displays the recipe step by step, including the ingredients needed. And you can adjust servings easily
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, squeezed
- ½ cup Kecap Manis
- 4 tablespoons white vinegar
- 4 tablespoons palm sugar
- 3 cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 pound rookworst, kielbasa or smoked sausage
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Put oil in a frying pan and heat until it's hot.1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- Fry the onion (about 3 minutes), then add the garlic and stir-fry 1 minute more.1 onion, 2 cloves garlic
- Add the sausage and fry slightly on both sides.1 pound rookworst
- Add the palm sugar, vinegar, kecap, cloves and nutmeg.½ cup Kecap Manis, 4 tablespoons white vinegar, 4 tablespoons palm sugar, 3 cloves, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Allow to braise for 15 minutes with the lid on the pan.
Notes
- Fridge: Store covered for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Warm gently in a pan with a tiny splash of water to loosen the sauce. The microwave works too, but pan = best glaze.
Nutrition
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