Ying Ying Soy Food

Awesome place! Super fresh and tasty products!
Unlike most tofu products — they do NOT contain gypsum, aka calcium sulfate, aka DRYWALL FILLER :(
Their miso is delicious!
Their tofu slices and firm tofu have become a staple in our fridge.
So fresh and yummy and nutritious!
We get super excited each time we find their products in a shop.
Moberly Natural Foods, Ambrosia both have good selection of Ming’s best.
We love the curry tofu!

This is the BEST tofu I have ever had, worldwide.
CHEW ON THAT.
But seriously… speaking of chewing, the texture is really what sets Ying Ying apart. Unlike any soy product I have ever sampled… and I have tried them all — I’ve been a veghead for 18 years!!!
Like others (I’m looking at you, @Avitania B. and @Kirsten L.!) I love just eating it cold out of the bag.
I KNOW! YOU DON’T BELIEVE US! Try it. Sweet & Sour. I’m telling you. It will be instant for those familiar with vegetarian protein alternatives. YOU’RE WELCOME!
Meat eaters, give it a try. I’ve convinced THREE — count ‘em — THREE hard-​core carnivores that tofu doesn’t have to be disgusting by forcing them to try Ying Ying products. Not that they all started eating cold out of the bag with abandon, but it changed their perspective and opened their minds to soy products, specifically has-​such-​a-​bad-​rap tofu!
Fresh ingredients, mystery magic method of preparation, great flavours (my fave is sweet & sour but I also buy the miso and tomato varieties), awesome business owners.
If you’re visiting the St. Lawrence Market, stop by their store on the lower level — the owner is usually there and you can ask to sample ANY of their products.
You can also find retail locations GTA-​wide that sell YYSF. However, BUYER BEWARE: the online info is not kept up-​to-​date! Call ahead to avoid disappointment.
The places I go that always stock at least 2 – 3 varieties of the tofu:
BIG CARROT:
WHOLESOME MARKET:
EVERGREEN BRICKWORKS FARMERS MARKET:
And of course, you can always find it at the StLM!
Omnomnomnomnom…

Freshest, best soy in the city, hands-​down. I know my way around soy, tempeh, bean curd, bulgur and all the other meat substitutes you can think of. I’ve tried some of the worst and some of the best. Ying Ying really hits home with his ready-​to-​eat pieces of flavoured soy, amazing for eating alone or with salad.
So recommended to any vegetarian, even the one that claims to dislike soy. This stuff is incredible.

Sweet and spicy is our favourite! We’ve been buying from Ying Ying for about 5 years now, and are happy to have business such as this in Toronto. We buy from either St. Lawrence market or the Sorauren market on Thursdays.

If you were watching a video of me writing this review right now, you’d see a girl in her pajamas, one hand on the keyboard and the other dipping in and out of a bag of Ying Ying Sweet and Spicy tofu, delivering morsel after piquant morsel to my demanding maw. Yes, I’m getting spicy sauce on my keyboard. I don’t care. It’s that delicious. See, I used to sprinkle their flavored tofu on top of salads. But at this point, I’m not even bothering with the delivery system and going straight to the source: the squishy bag of marinated tofu delight. I’m convinced this stuff will make even picky tofu haters enjoy the stuff. It’s addicting.
The owner is super nice, and if you come across his table at any of the local farmer’s markets, he’s quick to offer a sample. I’m not so keen on some of the other products, but that marinated tofu is the bomb-​diggity.

Tthere aren’t many places I know around Toronto that specialize in selling organic Ontario-​grown soy products, so I’m glad that my boyfriend introduced me to this little shop in the basement of St. Lawrence Market.
The packaged marinated tofu is a quick bachelor meal; eat it cold out of the bag while sitting in your PJs or heat it up in a pan to match it with some rice. One bag is approximately $ 4 – 5 dollars, while you’ll be given a small discount if you buy three bags or more. Flavours include black bean, curry and miso; the tofu come in two sizes and are in vaccuum-​sealed bags.
What I have fallen in love with here is the smoked tofu ‘bacon’. At $ 4 a pack, there are about 4 servings and each piece is quite filling and nutritious, considering that there’s 24% protein. The strips heat up quite well in a frying pan — sans oil — and is reminescent of the real thing.
The owner’s name is Ming and is very easygoing; ask him a few questions and you’ll get him chatting. If you visit him often enough that he recognizes you, he might give you a small treat. On Saturdays, he may be at a booth at Evergreen Brickworks. Also, make sure you check out Ying Ying’s when they are at the annual Vegetarian Food Fair by Harbourfront; it runs in early September and the deals are the best!