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Burma Superstar Launches Its Own Tea Leaf Salad Kit

Posted on December 25, 2019 by foodgal 3 comments

Make Burma Superstar's famous tea leaf salad -- in the comfort of your own home. — Make Burma Superstar’s famous tea leaf salad — in the comfort of your own home.

If you’re a fan of Burma Superstar’s signature Burmese tea leaf salad, you’ll be glad to know it’s never been easier to make a version at home now.

No more hunting around fruitlessly for fermented tea leaves or any of the other specialty ingredients needed. Burma Superstar’s new Burma Love Foods Company has put together a Fermented Tea Leaf Salad Kit. It’s vegan to boot.

The kit, which should be kept refrigerated until used, comes complete with the already made fermented tea leaf dressing made with organic tea leaves, as well as Burmese Crunchy Mix, which is a blend of crispy yellow split peas, toasted sunflower seeds, fried garlic chips, sesame seeds and roasted peanuts.

Fish Sauce Caramel? You bet!

Posted on December 16, 2019 by foodgal Leave a comment

Red Boat's new fish sauce caramels. — Red Boat’s new fish sauce caramels.

Red Boat has long been the fish sauce of choice for discerning chefs and fastidious homecooks.

Now, the artisan producer has branched out into making other products featuring Red Boat, the artisan fish sauce that’s made from only two ingredients: black anchovies and salt.

I had a chance recently to try samples of two new and fun products from the company that was founded by Cuong Pham, a former Apple engineer. When he couldn’t find any fish sauce brands in the Bay Area that had the purity and balance of what he grew up with in Saigon, he decided to make his own.

Now, Pham has partnered with a few gourmet food producers to make these specialty items. First up, Red Boat Caramels, which are made in partnership with Pasadena’s Little Flower Candy Company.

As Kneaded Is What You Need

Posted on December 9, 2019 by foodgal Leave a comment

Bread pudding (foreground) and bostock (back) from As Kneaded Bakery.

After graduating with an anthropology degree during a recession when jobs were scarce especially for liberal arts majors, Iliana Berkowitz was lucky enough to unearth her true passion in life — baking.

She took a job at a bakery, followed by a stint at a French bistro, all the while honing her bread and pastry skills.

In 2016, she started a bakery pop-up and bread club in the East Bay. Both did so well that in late-2018, she opened an actual brick-and-mortar, her As Kneaded Bakery in San Leandro.

Pain d'epi and honey rye porridge loaf. — Pain d’epi and honey rye porridge loaf.

It now supplies bread to such restaurants as Flea St. Cafe in Menlo Park and The Alembic in San Francisco. And its loaves sell at a host of stores around the Bay Area, including Bianchini’s Market in San Carlos and Portola Valley; Berkeley Bowl in Berkeley; and Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco; as well as through Good Eggs delivery.

Coffee, Tea & You

Posted on December 4, 2019 by foodgal One comment

Dripdash — Kyoto-Style Coffee

Japanese aesthetics are all about precision and perfection — even when it comes to a simple cup of coffee.

Palo Alto-based Dripdash brought that sentiment to the United States this year with its Kyoto-style, cold-brewed, slow-dripped coffee.

How slow? Apparently, only one drop of water per second gets poured over the grounds in a process that takes 16 hours.

The glacial-pace process makes for a highly caffeinated brew. And the taste?

I had a chance to experience it for myself when I was sent samples.

This is one incredibly smooth coffee. The pronounced acidity I’ve often found with other cold brews is decidedly missing here. Instead, what you get is coffee that tastes more balanced, with tempered bitterness, a silkiness on the palate, and a long, soft finish. If coffee can be somehow relaxing and invigorating at the same time, Dripdash nails it.

The 6-ounce bottles are available on GoodEggs for $3.99 each. Or in a six-pack on the Dripdash site for $37.

Proclamation Goods — The Only Pans You Need? Plus A Food Gal Giveaway

Posted on December 2, 2019 by foodgal 21 comments

Made in the United States, Proclamation Goods’ pans.

Less is more — even when it comes to outfitting your kitchen.

That’s the philosophy of Proclamation Goods, a new cookware company built on the belief that you really only need two pans in your cooking arsenal: a 12-inch skillet and a 7-quart pot.

The company was founded by CEO Chris Burrage, former general manager of Casper mattresses, and Chief Product Officer Tony Leo, former head of design at Pottery Barn.

With that kind of pedigree, you’d expect the pans to be of high quality. And they are, as I found when I was given a free set to test drive.

Made in the United States, the set of two pans, which comes with one lid that can fit either, retails for about $379.

The skillet and pot can be attached via handles that come together in a hinge to create a dutch oven.

The first thing you notice when you pick them up is their heft. These are heavy-duty pans with a streamlined design. The pot is made of gleaming stainless steel, and the skillet comes in either stainless steel or carbon steel. I was kindly sent one of each, and I will say you will surely get an arm workout wielding the carbon steel one, which is much weightier like cast-iron.

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