This is Yun Hai Taiwan Stories, a newsletter about Taiwanese food and culture by Lisa Cheng Smith 鄭衍莉, founder of Yun Hai. If you aren’t yet a subscriber, sign up here.
Season Three of Cooking with Steam, our self-produced Taiwanese cooking show on YouTube, focuses on holidays and festivals. Follow along as I prepare customary festival foods and share a few suggestions to make American holidays a little more Taiwanese.
Episode Two: Mid-Autumn BBQ is out now. It’s all about tofu as the main event. Fittingly, it’s also sponsored by my favorite bean curd-loving mattress brand, Sleepy Tofu. Thanks, Spencer!
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! 中秋節快樂！
This is one of my favorite holidays of the year, possibly because it coincides with (and ultimately distracts from) my birthday, but also because it’s a celebration of the truly magnificent character of the fall season. As a lover of all things field, flower, friends, and farm, it gets me every time. What did we do to deserve so much?
It’s customary to celebrate this time of year with mooncakes, a round pastry reminiscent of the shape of the moon. If you missed ours, we have made a few more available on the site to ship next week for belated holiday celebrations.
(P.S. It seems that these largely arrived in great shape, but if you had any delivery problems, please don’t hesitate to reach out to support@yunhai.shop. We got a couple of heartbreaking reports of crushed boxes.)
一家烤肉萬家香: When One Home BBQs, Ten Thousand Homes Smell Good
That’s the slogan from a Wan Ja Shan 萬家香 soy sauce commercial, which may be the most successful ad in Taiwanese history, if you count the creation of an entirely new way to celebrate a centuries-old holiday as success.
In the early ‘80s (estimated), Wan Ja Shan and rival Kimlan 金蘭 both pushed barbecuing for the holiday to sell their competing sauces. It went “viral” (to apply the language of the present), and a tradition was born.
And I guess that’s my cue:
COOKING WITH STEAM Season 03 Episode 02
Mid-Autumn Festival
sponsored by Sleepy Tofu
好蒸氣 第三季 02 | 中秋節
We typically host a BBQ (read: rager) at our shop for this festival, but we sadly had to skip it this year. Our front sidewalk and the entire block are under the thumb of a massive construction project next door.
Not to worry, I’m BBQing on screen instead, pomelo hat included.
Fun fact: my producer and director strongly suggested I not wear the pomelo hat on screen for very long, fearing I would regret and redact all the footage. Yes, this was an actual meeting. No, I didn’t listen.
In this episode, I demonstrate three (yes, THREE!) different preparations for BBQ tofu on a ceramic konro grill. These are original recipes based on favorite tofu dishes in Taiwan, and are not necessarily traditional in the truest sense.
When writing this episode, I first thought of doing a survey of different skewer ingredients common at a Taiwanese BBQ. In testing them, I realized that tofu was one of the hardest things to get right: too easily bland, undercooked, overcooked, or rubbery. However, tofu, in all its forms, is consistently my favorite part of BBQ in Taiwan: savory, unctuous, saucy, and full of different textures (crispy, velvety, and Q). I decided I’d make this ep a primer on grilling bean curd, and threw in a couple BBQ sauces, too.
Recipes: BBQ Tofu, Three Ways
Each recipe features a different kind of tofu, and some ideas for how to prepare it. Feel free to mix techniques, swap sauces, or vary the garnish with what you have on hand.
The first recipe is a BBQ Dougan Sandwich that uses packaged pre-braised pressed tofu, aka dougan 豆乾, as a vessel for pork floss, salted scallion, and sour mustard greens. It’s based on the 夾心豆干 stuffed tofu I’ve had when visiting different mountain towns in Taiwan. The tofu is usually braised, but I decided to grill it! So yummy! We should sell this in the shop, no?
The second recipe is Orchid Cut Baiye Tofu Skewers. This is pretty much a total invention on my part, employing a cutting technique I’ve seen for fried and braised tofu and taking inspiration from Taiwanese Blood Pudding 豬血糕, which is skewered and smothered in peanut powder (I swapped in chili peanut powder, see below) and cilantro. I used baiye tofu 百頁豆腐, which can best be described as “a fish cake but tofu.” It has a springy texture. When cut this way, it chars beautifully and absorbs (sucks!) the sauce in all the nooks and crannies.
Fittingly, I’ve dressed it with Dracula Paprika, a chili seasoning mix from Taiwanese spice brand Awakened Taste. We’ve got a limited number available on the site now, just for this episode!
And last, but not least (ok yes, least, as in least amount of work), I make BBQ Tofu Skin Skewers, or 烤豆皮串. Tofu skin, more commonly known in the US by its Japanese name yuba, is the film that forms at the top of a vat of soy milk, which is then skimmed off and dried or rolled. This is one of the freshest forms of tofu (I often think of it as “young tofu”) and very easy to prepare. Simply thread it onto a skewer and brush with soy paste. It crisps up very easily, but has a soft, laminated texture on the inside.
Introducing Dracula Paprika 十味麻成香
As mentioned, we have a special one-time ingredient launch for this episode of Cooking with Steam, and that is Dracula Paprika aka 十味麻成香 or “ten flavors numbing become fragrant.”
It’s a truly phenomenal spice mix with dried chili, licorice, white sesame, black pepper, kombu, soybeans, peanuts, and Sichuan pepper. Don’t be fooled by the size of the jar: a little goes a long way. One pinch for two to four skewers; it’s spicy.
This is made by our friends at Awakened Taste, a Taiwanese spice company and seasoning brand based in Kaohsiung.
We have 65 (yes, only) jars available, and of those I’m reserving at least 5 for just me. Don’t sleep! Unless it’s during the day (not the first Dracula joke in this email, btw). Here’s another one:
Sponsored by Sleepy Tofu
Speaking of sleep, this episode was sponsored by Sleepy Tofu, my favorite mattress brand. In fact, I reviewed their original foam and spring models for The Strategist several years ago here.
Since then, they’ve come out with a new product: a lightweight, foldable “tofuton.” They sent me one to demonstrate on the show. I never thought making a cooking show meant I’d be fake sleeping on screen, but then again, who am I to know such things.
These really are the best: a guest bed in your closet. I received two for the demo, and immediately ordered two more at the behest of our director. For what it’s worth, I also plan to order at least one more for studio naps, because I have my own company and we can do that.
Friends visiting recently from Taiwan were overjoyed to find out that they’d be sleeping on a Sleepy Tofu mattress (“so good 啊!”). And my parents? Loved it; no issues sleeping on the floor.
The Sleepy Tofu Foldable Mattress is:
100% designed and made in Taiwan.
Firm and supportive, and great for floor sleeping, which is common in Taiwanese homes. Can also fold into a seat.
Two layers: supportive EPE foam on the bottom and Sleepy Tofu's signature elastic foam on top.
Only 6 kg (about 13 lbs)! It's about 4" thick and tri-folds to roughly 35 × 27 × 13 in, small enough for a closet, under a bed, or a car trunk.
$299 with an included fitted sheet and optional storage bag add-on.
You can get one here. The site is all in Chinese, truly designed for Taiwanese people living abroad who need a “Taiwanese sleep experience” to feel at home. Now you know about it, too. Translation apps make purchasing through their familiar Shopify interface a breeze.
Pick one up or look out for a giveaway next week on Instagram!
Ingredients and Equipment
Here’s a guide to the other ingredients, equipment, props, and accessories featured on the show.
Ingredients
Awakened Taste Dracula Paprika
Dong He Camellia Oil
Empress Pineapple Miso Hot Sauce
Wu Yin Seasoned Rice Vinegar
Yu Ding Xing Pineapple Soy Sauce
Yu Ding Xing Vat Bottom Soy Sauce
Yu Ding Xing Firewood Soy Paste
Yu Ding Xing Spicy Soy Paste
Zhou Nan Frost Salt
Zhou Nan Dunaliella Algae Salt
Prep Work and Kitchen Gear
Kinka ceramic konro grill: it’s like the little red Tatung of diatomaceous earth grills
A 15-year-old round ironwood cutting board from an Asian grocery store in Detroit
My trusty old Blendtec blender, gifted to me by my mom
Plating and Decor
The celadon dragon and phoenix plate, celadon grooved bowl, white plum blossom cup, and white diamond-patterned saucer are previews of a forthcoming product launch: ceramics modeled after the iconic plastic pink dinnerware commonly used during bando 辦桌, or roadside banquets in Taiwan. Sign up for our waitlist here to be notified when they drop.
The stainless steel platters are from Building Block Etc., a super cute shop owned by Taiwanese-American handbag designers in LA.
Accessories and Clothing
Tang shirt with knot buttons from Taiwanese-American menswear line A/C Space
Apron from Fog Linen
Earrings from Rest Objects
Cow print Taiwanese Mary Janes from Wax Apple
Yellow linen pants from Wax Apple
The only shoes I ever want to wear.
Gratitude and Acknowledgements
We couldn’t have done this without the support and passion of our friends and community. So much love and gratitude to Night Shift, who produced this, and all our creative collaborators for giving the show its unique voice.
Credits
Produced by Night Shift and Yun Hai
Made possible by Tatung Taiwan and Sleepy Tofu
Team:
Lisa Cheng Smith, host
Rich Ho, guest talent
Trigg Brown, guest talent
Jessie YuChen, food stylist
Nicole Wang, culinary assistant
Amalissa Uytingco, culinary producer
Cat Yeh, BTS producer
Sam Broscoe, producer
Alec Sutherland, director & editor
Nathan Bailey, director of photography
Rob Woods, camera operator
Taylor Dekker, camera operator
Alexandra Egan, art director
Meena Kim, production assistant
Hikari Tezuka, hair and makeup
Mark Tumas, editor
Mark Maloney, editor
Kyle Garvey, sound mixer
R. Hollis Smith, mix
Dustin Wong, music
O.OO, graphics
Jil Tai & Ben Hill, motion design and title sequence
Leo Chang, language advisor
Rachel Watson, BTS photography
Our Set
Our set features props from Taiwanese, Taiwanese-American, and international friends worldwide, creating those Taiwancore vibes we love so much at Yun Hai.
Thank you for the beauty Natoora, Hai-Hsin Huang, Building Block, Mikey Chen, Lillian Li, Emilie Liu, Debbie Carlos, Matthew So, Kelli Cain, Material Kitchen, Mogutable, Felicia Liang, Sam Tilney, Lulu Yao Gioiello, Eric Sze, Julianne Ahn, and Leh Lin.
And much gratitude to our friends who contributed to wardrobe: Judi Rosen, PearWare, Rest Objects, a/c space, and The Wax Apple.
Special Thanks
Hollow, Chong-Lim Lee and Christian Patterson, Maggie Chang, Shirley Liu, Samantha Tilney, Ivan Wu and Feng Hsieh, Jess Wang, Lillian Lin, Jasmine Huang, Natya Regensburger, Jeremy Hersh, & the entire Yun Hai Team, our partners, and our wonderful community.
Before I Go…
The 2027 almanacs are here and we’ve just christened our new studio with their photoshoot. We’re making them available to the waitlist for early orders in just a couple weeks. Sign up!!
Our Taiwanese rices are now available in bulk. Introducing short-grain penglai rice and purple glutinous rice in large 2 kg sizes. Buy and save!
And not really an update, but thought you’d like to see this photo I took of a pomelo hat at a club last year. It wasn’t the one I was wearing.
I vant to suck your blahd,
Lisa Cheng Smith 鄭衍莉
Written with editorial support by Amalissa Uytingco, Jasmine Huang, and Lillian Lin. If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share it with friends and subscribe if you haven’t already. I email once a month, sometimes more, sometimes less. For more Taiwanese food, head to yunhai.shop, follow us on instagram and twitter, or view the newsletter archives.
中秋快樂: A Mid Autumn Night's BBQ
Read more about Taiwanese Mid-Autumn traditions in this now FIVE year old newsletter.