Desmond Tan, owner and founder of Burma, Inc.—which has three restaurants in San Francisco, Oakland, and Alameda, California—swears by a flavored salt that works as an alternative to MSG.
Secret Ingredient: Tamarind salt, made by grinding kosher salt with seedless tamarind pulp. While writing his cookbook, “Burma Superstar,” Tan developed the seasoning as a substitute for MSG, a common ingredient in Burmese cuisine, anticipating that many American home cooks would shy from it. Tamarind is widely grown and used in Burma, so the substitution still preserves the cuisine’s authenticity.
