Thanh Loi Tofu

I heard from a friend that there was a small shop in South El Monte that made those fried mushroom tofu squares that I love. She couldn’t remember the name and street though.
So, I took to Unilocal and came across Thanh Loi.
I’m out in that area on occasion and bookmarked it.
Whether or not this is the place she was talking about, what I bought made me very happy.
Saw these pics on the wall and asked the man if I could buy a half order.
10 for $ 2. He said sure and went into the kitchen.
Right away, I could hear the sizzle of the oil.
I had intended to use the tofu in a stir fry later that evening, but well…
I tried the first one on the drive home because these are best right out of the fryer.
By the late afternoon, there were only 4 pieces left.
I had snacked on these like they were candy. They were that good.
Edited to add: These tofu squares didn’t even make it into the stir fry. #2 Son came home from work and saw them on the counter. He squirted Sriracha all over them! «Oh. Weren’t these for me?» Said with an innocent face. Grrr.
As happy as I was with the tofu, the ginger tofu pudding made me even more so.
This was the best I’ve had so far.
Not as sweet which was good for me (diabetic) and the fresh ginger was strong and spicy.
Loved it so much, I even ate the ginger.
While waiting for my order, I looked around.
Was tempted to buy some Pandan soy milk but wasn’t sure of the sugar content. Maybe another time.
Saw some snacks that looked pretty good.
Not sure what these are. When I asked the lady if they were sausages, all I got was a «No».
I’ll definitely come back when out that way.
And will buy a full order of the fried tofu, more pudding and try some of those mysterious things on the counter.
Here’s a pic of their business card (March 17, 2016) with the current hours.
Closed on Wednesdays.
One last note:
Don’t use the map attached to this Unilocal page. It’s a ways off.
Just highlight the address and use the Google search function for the accurate location.

This place makes me happy when I have tofu cravings. Everything is so inexpensive, I was able to get yogurt, Vietnamese ham with clam & basil, tofu pudding with ginger syrup and a huuuge order of fried tofu with mushroom and it was all for only $ 8!!! I love the fried tofu with mushroom, it’s so tasty, the texture is just right, crispy on the outside yet soft and moist inside. The tofu pudding with ginger syrup came out piping hot, it is soft, silky and delicious, the ginger syrup accompanies it perfectly. I ventured out and tried the clam ham which was so tasty! It has pieces of clams, basil and I think lemongrass and other herbs in it, a yummy snack for clam lovers. They also have other desserts and of course soymilk and many variety of tofu. The man who works here seems like such a sweetheart, he’s very warm and friendly. Definitely coming back soon when I’m craving some snacks!

Love their coconut drinks!!!

tucked away in the same plaza as the now-​famous phở minh is this little store where most offerings are some traditional asian incarnation of soy: tofu (steamed or fried), soy bean milk, soy bean pudding (in canto, dao fu fa), etc. they also have vietnamese snacks/​meals packed up & ready to go, like rice vermicelli with dried shrimp & meat loaf slices, dessert bread & «dumplings» (i don’t know the vietnamese name for them, but in canto they’re called «tzung:» sticky rice & meat wrapped up in a banana leaf)
i don’t know about the dessert tofu that tony c. tried, but i’m hooked on their soybean milk flavored with baythoy leaf! don’t be intimidated by the neon green bottles sitting next to the normal-​looking stuff. what’s inside is (re)fresh (ing), lightly sweetened, rich in soy bean flavor… &, according to the little hand-​written signs, made only of natural good-​for-​you stuff: soy beans, water, sugar & baythoy. & the owner says it’s all made on the site. & i believe it.
pint: $ 1, half-​gallon: $ 2.25, full gallon: … other items are cheap as well, like $ 1 to $ 2 for 10 – 12 pieces of fried tofu with wood-​ear mushroom & glass noodles. can’t wait to go back & try it out.
service: friendly. parking: easy. hours: mon-​sat 7am-​6pm, sun 7am-​4pm.