Legendary Chef Ming Tsai Dishes on His Innovative and Delicious Brand, MingsBings
Iron Chef, restauranteur and TV personality Ming Tsai might be best known for his Food Network cooking show East Meets West, and that East-meets-West mentality is precisely the philosophy behind his fast-growing frozen food brand, MingsBings.
The delicious brand reinvents classic Chinese bings by filling them with the most iconic American flavors, from Cheeseburger and Supreme Pizza flavors to breakfast offerings and more. Better yet, they're available in both meaty and plant-based varieties and made with better-for-you ingredients, and can be found in more than 6,000 retailers across the U.S., including Whole Foods, Costco, Target and many more. We've had the chance to taste the tasty plant-based versions ourselves, and we jumped at the opportunity to chat with Ming Tsai himself to learn more about the brand and why it's so special to him in the interview below.
Sweety High: Can you tell us a little bit about the cultural significance of bings? Why did you choose bings as the focus of your brand, and how did you put your own unique twist on them?
Ming Tsai: Almost everyone in this country has eaten a bing, they just don't know it. A scallion pancake is called a cong you bing (蔥油餅), so scallion pancakes are probably the first bing that everyone in this country, and for that matter everyone in the world, has tried. Bings have been around for hundreds of years and I decided to modernize them. MingsBings combine this traditional Chinese food with classic American flavors in a crunchy brown rice wrapper for an East-meets-West twist.
(Photo credit: Ellen Yang Photography)
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SH: Why was it important for you to start off MingsBings as a plant-based brand? Can you tell us about the personal story that inspired your own plant-based journey?
MT: After my wife had a major health scare in 2017, my family transitioned to a vegan and gluten-free diet to reduce inflammation. I knew that I could create delicious, better-for-you meals, but there was a lack of convenient, accessible options at the grocery store. Thus, my mission to create meals that nurture the body while maintaining Iron Chef-quality flavor was born. I did this by flipping the paradigm—I put the emulsification on the outside by developing a gluten-free brown rice wrapper and then filled the inside with deliciousness.
SH: At what point did you add meat-based offerings to the mix?
MT: My plan was always to create meat-based and seafood-based bings. They are convenient and handheld so I always thought, how cool would it be to eat a Chinese stir-fry while driving a car? The timeframe for our meat-based line got accelerated when one of my favorite retailers in the country, Costco, called. They asked if we would consider doing meat-based bings and I said, "Yes and we can one-up it.We can make these meat and cheese-filled bings better for you."
We introduced our meat- and chicken-filled bings to the market in November 2023. We now offer four better-for-you bing flavors including Cheeseburger, Ham & Cheese, Supreme Pizza and Buffalo Chicken. All of our meat-based offerings contain a 20% hidden vegetable component to maintain our better-for-you, plant-forward philosophy. Our meat-filled bings are sure to satisfy your crunchy, comfort-food cravings while incorporating veg and high protein.
(via MingsBings)
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SH: What's your personal favorite MingsBings flavors?
MT: My favorite of the new bings is the SouthWest Taco because I love the spiciness of chorizo. While they are mighty tasty, the fiber and protein from the beans and corn make them healthy.
SH: What makes MingsBings different from any other frozen food offering out there?
MT: Our secret sauce is our gluten-free brown rice wrapper. I've never had a crispy, delicious, gluten-free wrapper like the one we created for MingsBings. Because of that gluten-free wrapper and the patented way that we make our bings, which are five and three layers on the top and bottom, it gives that unique crunch. Most importantly, the word that we love to use is "craveability." You can't eat just one bing. The combination between the brown rice exterior and the filling makes them beyond craveable.
(via MingsBings)
SH: Is there anything else we should know about MingsBings?
MT: In closing, I've been very fortunate to be a chef and to be able to introduce lots of people to delicious Asian cuisine. MingsBings, for me, is a great bridge to get people to enjoy a real classic technique with really delicious American flavors. We will be a success one day when people start saying, "Have you Bing'd today?"
So my question to you—"Have you Bing'd today?"
Love discovering innovative new foods? Click HERE to check out all of the best new foods and drinks we tried in April of 2024.