Studio Notes 09: Winter Solstice
tang yuan, but also popcorn chicken and mayonnaise
Hi, it’s Lisa Cheng Smith, founder of Yun Hai. I write Taiwan Stories, a free newsletter about Taiwanese food and culture. If you aren’t yet a subscriber, sign up here.
This is Studio Notes, a paid series within that newsletter. It’s an informal exploration of the things on my desk—cultural references, first-hand research, and archival material—all in relation to how we tell stories, create spaces, and design products at Yun Hai. Your paid subscription supports the free newsletter and our cooking show, Cooking With Steam.
In the spirit of the holidays, today’s letter has no paywall; thanks for reading and supporting Taiwanese culture!
Happy Winter Solstice! This important Taiwanese holiday, known as dongzhi 冬至, is today, December 21st, marking the winter solstice solar term.
It’s the longest night and the shortest day of the year. This may sound suboptimal, but night is beautiful, too, and from here on out, light stretches a little bit longer with each passing moment, slowly bringing us back into the glory of spring and summer. It’s an inflection point. Another year done, and we’re on our way.
Like many celestial phenomena, this one is celebrated as a festival in Taiwan. It’s a customary day for togetherness and sharing tang yuan (sticky rice dumplings) served both savory and sweet. The round shape symbolizes completeness, togetherness, and reunion.
On the topic of togetherness, we are immeasurably blessed by our friendships. The strength of these relationships was brought into sharp relief by the challenges of 2025; we’re so thankful for you all.
I thought I’d take the occasion of solstice to celebrate our long-running collaboration with Taiwanese chef Jessie YuChen, seen here preparing tang yuan at a winter solstice pop-up we hosted in December 2022, the first year the brick-and-mortar was open.
We collaborated on a holiday party, titled Lil’ Tang Yuan, to celebrate solstice, with two tang yuan dishes: one savory with celery and mushroom, and another with sweet red bean soup. I can hardly believe it’s been three years since we did this; I’m still feeling the blessings.
I was not as quick on the pick-up back then, and I don’t think these beautiful shots by Grace Anne Leadbeater were ever published beyond social media. Never too late, right? Especially on the longest night?
For me, warm, chewy tang yuan are as nostalgic as mulled wine or egg nog at this time of year. It’s a holiday food to celebrate the end of the season and a new beginning, and to share with friends and family.
The official holiday is today, but for me it’s tang yuan season all month long, and even into Lunar New Year. If you’re interested, we have a great recipe for a Hakka-style savory tang yuan, developed by our friend Cat Yeh. Or, if you’re short on time, swing by the shop and pick up some frozen ones (we’ve got peanut and black sesame).
Friend of the Shop
Jessie is one of those multi-dimensional talents that has contributed to Yun Hai in myriad ways over many years: as a food stylist on our Tatung cookbook and Cooking With Steam series; a guest on said cooking show; a pop-up chef for Yun Hai holiday celebrations (see above); beer and popcorn provider (see below); and all-around good spirit.
You can read more about her background in this newsletter (the one where we make eggs together). Like many of those working in the forefront of Taiwanese food, the hustle never stops for her. I thought I’d take time today to share three of Jessie’s recent projects—things you really ought to know about!
For the Love of Kewpie
When we were shooting the second season of Cooking With Steam, Jessie was simultaneously working on a cookbook project with author Elyse Inamine and photographer Heami Lee (also a long time friend of the shop), featuring one of our favorite East Asian ingredients: Kewpie mayonnaise. Until we are able to import Taiwanese mayonnaise (a thing all its own, blessing Mei er Mei 美而美 breakfast sandwich shops throughout the island), Kewpie is the closest analogue we can easily find.
In For the Love of Kewpie, Jessie and Elyse develop a wide range of recipes incorporating the condiment, taking it out of just a sandwich or salad dressing.
One of my favorite ways to make grilled cheese for a crowd is by slathering the outside of the bread with mayonnaise and roasting it on a sheet pan. This recipe, excerpted from the book, takes the same concept, but leans Taiwanese, with a crispy tofu battered with panko crumbs and smothered in scallion-ginger sauce.
I’m making Peking Duck for the holidays, and looking for impressive and easy sides. This will be on the table. Thanks for Workman Publishing for this excerpt!
Recipe: Crispy Tofu with Scallion-Ginger Sauce
Excerpted from For the Love of Kewpie by Kewpie Corporation, Elyse Inamine and Jessie YuChen (Workman Publishing). Copyright © 2025. Photographs by Heami Lee.
The key to crispy tofu isn’t pressing all the water out of the slab or frying it in a lot of oil—it’s coating the tofu in Kewpie Mayonnaise. Once these mayo-covered slices of tofu are slid into the oven, the oil in the condiment ends up frying the tofu, no eggy dredge or deep-fry needed. The tofu is crunchy on the outside, in part thanks to a panko-studded exterior, and squishy-in-a-good-way on the inside. This dish comes together in 20 minutes, making it a strong contender for a busy weeknight dinner—the tofu can be roasted alongside a tray of vegetables for a complete meal.
Ingredients
1/4 cup (25 g) finely minced scallions
3 tablespoons (40 g) finely minced ginger
1/3 cup (80 ml) toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons salt, plus more as needed
One 14-ounce (400 g) package firm tofu, drained and sliced 1/2-inch-thick (12 mm)
6 tablespoons (90 ml) Kewpie Mayonnaise
1 cup (100 g) panko bread crumbs
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425° F (220° C).
Make the scallion-ginger sauce: In a small bowl, combine the scallions, ginger, sesame oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix thoroughly and season as needed.
Pat the tofu slices dry with paper towels.
In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise with 11/2 teaspoons salt. Brush to coat all sides of the tofu slices with the mayonnaise mixture, and then apply the rest of the mixture to the top of the tofu slices. Sprinkle the panko to cover the tops.
Place the tofu slices on a baking sheet with a fish spatula. Bake for 15 minutes, then broil on the top rack for 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely, until golden brown on top.
Carefully transfer the tofu to a serving plate and finish with the scallion-ginger sauce.
Boomipop: Popcorn Chicken Popcorn
Another great one for holiday season snacking is Boomipop, Jessie’s brand of popcorn-chicken-flavored popcorn. We are so excited to stock this in the store, it’s been a popular snack and stocking stuffer this season, and is such a fun way to share Taiwanese flavors.
The story of this is a fun one: At a pop up a few years ago at Farm.One, Jessie was working in a brand new kitchen (everything was being used for the first time). As the case may be when working in a brand new space, there were some kinks to iron out, and the food was late. In a pinch, Jessie improvised a quick popcorn to hold off the hungry crowds with a bag of kernels and ingredients she had on hand: five-spice powder, white pepper, salt, and chicken fat.
It was a hit, and she’s since figured out how to package it for sale, much to the benefit of our shop and everyone who visits us. Highly recommended as an airplane snack or stocking stuffer.
Bubble Team
And finally, one of the most exciting developments at the shop this year has been adding Taiwanese craft beer to our assortment, thanks to both Formosa Imports and Bubble Team, Jessie’s newly minted Taiwanese craft-beer distributorship. When I asked Jessie why she took on yet another additional business and thing-to-do, she responded with a simple and direct answer: “It should be available here.” Can’t argue.
Thanks to this strong sense of determination, we’re now able to stock beer from Taiwan’s Ugly Half brewery on a regular basis. I love them all (the Hazy IPA, the TOASTea ale based on breakfast toast and oolong tea, and the modern rice lager), but my personal favorite is the Guava Gose, with the guava notes and plum powder accompaniment.
Stop by the shop and pick some up, or head to any of the following establishments in NYC to find them on the menu:
Win Son
56709
Nin Hao
Ho Foods
Formosa Dumplings
By Antidote
MÁLÀ Project
Red Sorghum
Chinese Tuxedo
Mangetsu
As of now we’re the only retail spot that carries it! Swing by!
As a friend of mine and I love to say (quoting some Asian stationery we once came across) “the best ship is friendship.” In this very difficult year, the bright lights for us were indeed our many friends and supporters that came out to help and inspire. Thank you to Jessie and the many others who have contributed to our continued success and sense of joy.
More to come from this community soon, including an online merch launch with artist Emilie Liu (next week) and an episode on making tang yuan with Jess Wang of Gu Grocery, for lantern festival early next year.
Happy Tang Yuan Day,
Lisa Cheng Smith
The ideas and opinions expressed in Studio Notes are mine, and don’t represent the larger Yun Hai organization. Thanks to Amalissa Uytingco for the proofing. I read all email replies and comments, so please reach out. Photographs, unless credited, are by me. If you enjoyed this newsletter, 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.
Cooking With Steam S2E2: Preserved Radish Omelet with Cold Dressed Yuba Salad
Make eggs with me and Jessie.
Beautiful way to capture the ritual of dongzhi. The idea that completeness comes through these roundshapes and shared meals is something I've always found grounding, especially during the darkest part ofthe year. The crispy tofu recipe with kewpie as the frying agent is genuinely clever and I can't wait to try it. Feels like a modern take that still honors the communal spirit of solstice cooking.