Don't know much about Lo Hei during Chinese New Year in Singapore? Let us show you how we do it at Grand Hyatt Singapore with this step by step guide on what goes into a plate of yu sheng, and tips on how to do it like a professional at any Chinese New Year reunion dinner.
Yusheng, yee sang or yuu sahng, or Prosperity Toss, also known as lo hei is a Teochew-style raw fish salad. It usually consists of strips of raw fish (most commonly salmon), mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, and is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor.
PROSPEROUS YU SHENG FISH SALAD
Singaporeans believe the seventh day of the Chinese New Year (Renri 人 日) marks the occasion for people to gather and enjoy Lo Hei Yu Sheng, a tasty fish salad and popular specialty served every Chinese New Year on the Lion Island. It is associated with the hope of enhancing luck and good things in the New Year. Yu Sheng in Chinese stands for a prosperous life, indicating wealth and longevity.
It is a salad dish made with pieces of salmon, julienne-chopped radish and carrot, grapefruit wedges, roasted peanuts, roasted sesame and plum sauce. Each ingredient is prepared carefully for them to bring good luck and wealth. Fish indicates prosperity of the upper class; grapefruit indicates good luck and wealth; white radish indicates a successful business and a promotion; cooking oil indicates cash inflow.
The raw ingredients are put in a large bowl alongside seven more representatives of good wishes for the New Year including great happiness and advantages prosperity for the whole year, achieving thousands of desired things, wealth and prosperity, and so on. Family members or business partners stand around a table and use chopsticks to mix and tumble the ingredients for the dish as high as possible and speak their wishes for the New Year out loud. This mixing is known as ‘Lo Hei in Singapore, meaning prosperity’. Lo Hei Yu Sheng fish salad expresses the wish to thrive and experience prosperity in the New Year and has become an indispensable dish at every spring welcoming party organised by Singaporeans.
The History and Origins of Yu Sheng
It’s true that the press likes to sensationalize things. There is no better way of getting readers to buy papers then to have headings like “Let’s yee sang for another round of food fight” and then following it up with “Cyberwar of words over dish”. But just who is waging the war? I have cousins living in Malaysia and when this “war” erupted, I simply called one of them, wished him a Happy Chinese New Year and had a nice, albeit lively debate with him about the origins of Yu Sheng. I am sure that many of us cross the border to meet up with relatives over Chinese New Year so you can just imagine discussing this topic over a game of Mahjong, can’t you? It’s hardly a war and I just want to make it very clear from the start, that I am writing this article simply because I am interested to piece together how Yu Sheng became the cultural icon of our generation.
First of all, let me define just what I think the debate is about. When we talk about the origin of Yu Sheng, we are essentially trying to understand how the ubiquitous 7 Colour Yu Sheng (photo above) and the culture of everyone standing around the table tossing it while uttering auspicious phrases came to be the popular culture of today. It is useful to think about this based on the concept of “The Tipping Point“(3) where a series of factors come together to bring ideas, products, messages and behaviors to suddenly spread like viruses. This is essentially what happened with Yu Sheng. This dish has been a traditional dish of the Cantonese people (which include the Teochews who are also from Canton province) that is eaten on the 7th day of the Chinese New Year to celebrate Ren Ri (The day god created humans in Chinese mythology). Our migrant forefathers had then brought the practice over to Malaya at the turn of the century and Lo Yu Sheng has been practiced by people from both Malaysia and Singapore since before the War. But a series of events in the early sixties propelled the whole concept of the tossing of Yu Sheng past the Tipping Point to become, in our modern day venacular, “Viral”. We shall discuss this a little bit more later.
But let’s start by looking at how our concept of eating raw fish originated from the people living in Canton. And what better way to discover this than to actually go to the Jiangmen region of Canton to see how they eat Yu Sheng today. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to actually go there, but I discovered that the good people of Mediacorp had already made a program about it. So in the following video we will follow Mediacorp artiste, Ann Kok, as she traces the history of Yu Sheng from when it first arrived in Singapore in the 1920’s, to 1933 where it was served at the Loong Yik Kee Restaurant. With that background, she then took the cameras to Jiangmen and Shunde to show us what Yu Sheng is like back in its country of origin.
What Do Yu Sheng Ingredients and Phrases Mean?
Yu Sheng is an appetiser that represents good luck for the new year. The sequence of lo hei is, 1) the combining of all the ingredients in a big bowl, and 2) everyone at the table tossing the salad simultaneously using a pair of chopsticks. While doing those, it is considered auspicious to say Chinese sayings and phrases to welcome prosperity, luck and good health:
- Raw fish represents abundance and excess through the year, particularly for all the good stuff like prosperity Phrase – “Abundance throughout the year” (年 年 有 余, Nian Nian You Yu)
- Pomelo is added after the fish, for luck and auspicious value Phrase – “Good luck and smooth sailing” (大 吉 大 利, Da Ji Da Li)
- Pepper is thrown into the mix as a wish for wealth Phrase – “Attract wealth and treasures” (招 财 进 宝, Zhao Cai Jin Bao)
- Vegetable oil is drizzled in a circular motion over the mixture as a symbol of welcoming money and for it to “flow in from all directions” Phrase – “Make 10,000 times of profit with your capital” (一 本 万 利, Yi Ben Wan Li), and “Countless sources of wealth” (财 源 广 进, Cai Yuan Guang Jin)
- Carrots are also used to indicate blessings of good luck Phrase – “Good luck is approaching” (鸿 运 当 头, Hong Yun Dang Tou)
- Green radish stands for eternal youth Phrase – “Forever young” (青 春 常 驻, Qing Chun Chang Zhu)
- White radish is also used to usher in good business prospects Phrase – “Reaching a higher level with each step” (步步高升, Bu Bu Gao Sheng), and “Progress at a fast pace” (风 生 水 起, Feng Sheng Shui Qi)
- Crushed peanuts are sprinkled over the dish, symbolising wishes for a household to be filled with valuable possessions Phrase – “Household filled with gold and silver” (金 银 满 屋, Jin Yin Man Wu)
- Sesame seeds come after the crushed peanuts, representing hope for a business to flourish and grow Phrase – “Prosperity for the business” (生 意 兴 隆, Sheng Yi Xing Long)
- Golden crackers symbolise great wealth Phrase – “Floor full of gold” (满 地 黄 金, Man Di Huang Jin)
- Plum sauce is poured all over the dish, representing hope for stronger ties with those around you Phrase – “Sweet and loving relationships” (甜 甜 蜜 蜜, Tian Tian Mi Mi)
What you need to know about yu sheng
People tossing the colourful ingredients for good fortune. Photo by: Alexlky/Shutterstock.com
Yu sheng, which literally means raw fish in Mandarin, is a cold salad served during Chinese New Year in Singapore and Malaysia. In the Chinese language, yu sheng – written as 魚生 in Mandarin characters – is a homophone for 余升, a term that roughly translates to “increase in abundance”. Because of its namesake, eating yu sheng is purported to bring an abundance of prosperity and good health to one’s home, workplace and community for the upcoming year. Originally, raw grass carp was the fish of choice for this dish, but it was soon replaced with wolf herring or mackerel. These days, many restaurants use salmon, abalone and even lobster in the dish.
It’s a toss-up - The dish is also sometimes called lo hei in reference to the ritual of communal tossing that’s performed before eating it. A typical yu sheng dish consists of thinly sliced raw fish, shredded or pickled carrot, radish and cucumber, candied citrus peel or melon, bits of fresh pomelo, chopped peanuts, fried wonton skin, five-spice powder, plum sauce, hoisin sauce, and oil. During a Chinese New Year feast, each of the ingredients is added one at a time to a large bowl or platter, and everyone present utters an auspicious phrase that corresponds with the name of ingredient being added. Once all the ingredients are in the bowl, everyone gathers round the table with chopsticks to simultaneously toss everything together and as high as possible while shouting lo hei – a Cantonese incantation meaning to “toss up good fortune” seven times. In this current Covid-19 climate, it’s recommended to keep your masks on when tossing the salad and use an app to verbalise the auspicious greetings on your behalf. Auspicious phrases for every ingredient - The name of each ingredient used in a yu sheng dish consists of one or more auspicious words that serve as prompts for good-luck invocations. Here are some examples: When adding the raw fish or yu, say “nian nian you yu”, which means “abundance over the years”. When adding the pomelo, say “da ji da li” (“good luck and great prosperity”). When adding the oil, say “cai yuan guang jin”, which means “plentiful wealth from all directions”. When adding the golden crackers, say, “man di huang jin”, which means “abundant and overflowing wealth”. When adding the plum sauce, say, “tian tian mi mi”, which means “sweet and loving relationships”.
Ancient origins - Yu sheng is said to have originated from Guangdong province in ancient China, where fishermen along the coast of Guangzhou celebrated Renri – the seventh day of the Chinese New Year – by feasting on their fresh catches. These fishermen would prepare the fish in the style of a kuai – a dish made of finely cut strips of meat or fish – which was first documented in the Zhou Dynasty. Some historians believe the addition of other ingredients began in Chaozhou and Shantou during the Southern Song Dynasty. These days, it’s not easy to find yu sheng in Chinese cities, or even in cities with large Chinese populations such as Hong Kong or Taiwan, because the dish in its modern form is in fact a Southeast Asian invention. When the Cantonese and Teochew people of China migrated to Malaya in the late 19th century, two different versions appeared in the peninsula. The Cantonese version, known as Jiangmen yu sheng was a simple raw fish and vegetable salad with salt, sugar and vinegar, while the Teochew version, known as husay, was just dried fish wrapped in lettuce coated in sesame seeds and then dipped in sauce before eating. In 1930s Malaya, these two versions were sold from hawker carts as simple street food available throughout the year.
All About Yu Sheng: History, Steps and Significance
Families celebrate Chinese New Year in different ways, but there is one practice that we all have in common – that is having yusheng. This bright multi-coloured dish is something that we always have at the start of Chinese New Year meals and we are all guilty of whipping out our phones to snap pictures, but do we know the significance of eating yusheng? What it is?
Yusheng is also known as lo hei, because lo hei means the “tossing up” in Cantonese. Hence, this dish is eaten to express tossing up fortune. Yusheng (鱼 生) on the other hand, means an “increase of abundance”, as the word yu (鱼) sounds like yu (余) which means abundance and surpluses while the word sheng (生) sounds like sheng (升) which means to rise. Yusheng is made up of 11 ingredients, each of which have different auspicious meanings which are spoken as each item is added. When the dish is prepared, it is placed in the middle of the table and diners will toss the ingredients around to mix them while declaring some Chinese New Year greetings. It is said that the higher you toss the ingredients, the greater your blessings and fortunes lie ahead. Yusheng started out as a raw fish salad with some vegetables and condiments for flavour. It was brought to Singapore by Teochew and Cantonese immigrants in the early 19th century. The Cantonese yusheng was eaten on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year by businessmen in hopes of having a year of good fortune. The yusheng during that time was made of thin slices of raw fish served with vegetables and a tangy sauce. The Teochew yusheng (also called husay), on the other hand, was served throughout the Spring Festival period. The dish consisted of sliced air-dried fish, sesame seeds, sweet-and-sour sauce, and sliced vegetables.
After the 1930s, variations of this yusheng came out. The Loong Yik Kee Restaurant introduced the yusheng with pickled vegetables, sugar, and vinegar. A Malaysian restaurant was opened at the Fook Hai building which served yusheng with a secret plum sauce. Thereafter, in 1964, four chefs also known as the “four heavenly Kings”: Lau Yoke Pui, Tham Yui Kai, Sin Leong and Hooi Kok Wai, came together to think about how to attract more customers to their restaurants. Their yusheng included many more ingredients such as white and green radish, pomelo, peanuts and more. They also thought to include auspicious sayings during the lo hei session. The improvement helped to improve the flavour, texture, appearance, and significance of the dish. This dish was first introduced at the Lai Wah restaurant and took two years before it was accepted by the public. Each of the ingredients have a symbolic meaning to it. Here’s what each ingredient represents:
- Rectangular crackers - Represent wealth as they resemble blocks of gold
- Pepper and cinnamon powder - Represent desires for prosperity
- White radish - Signifies open doors to good jobs
- Plum sauce - Symbolises strong family relationships as it glues the ingredients together
- Crushed peanuts - Signifies that one will possess many precious items
- Oil - Symbolises that wealth will come in all directions as it is poured in a circular motion
- Sesame seeds - Represent the hope that one’s business will prosper
- Carrots - Represent good luck
- Green radish - Represents everlasting youth
- Raw fish - Symbolises having surplus and good fortune
- Pomelo - Symbolises luck
Yusheng
Yusheng, yee sang or yuu sahng (Chinese: 鱼 生; pinyin: yúshēng; Jyutping: jyu4saang1), or Prosperity Toss, also known as lo sahng (Cantonese for 撈 生 or 捞 生) is a Cantonese-style raw fish salad. It usually consists of strips of raw fish (sometimes salmon), mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients. There is also a vegetarian version of this dish, where the fish is replaced with soy "fish", which resembles salmon. Yusheng literally means "raw fish" but since "fish (魚)" is commonly conflated with its homophone "abundance (余)", Yúshēng (魚 生) is interpreted as a homophone for Yúshēng (余 升) meaning an increase in abundance. Therefore, yusheng is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor.
The dish originated from China but modern takes of the dish existed in both Malaysia and Singapore with both countries having competitive claims over who first modified the dish to its modern version. Today, the common form of yusheng is the qicai yusheng (七 彩 鱼 生; "seven-coloured raw fish salad") served in local restaurants during the Chinese New Year period. Also referred to as facai yusheng (发 财 鱼 生; "prosperity raw fish salad") or xinnian yusheng (新 年 鱼 生; "Chinese New Year raw fish salad"). The recipe generally includes ingredients such as shredded white and green radish and carrots, ginger slices, onion slices, crushed peanuts, pomelo, pepper, essence of chicken, oil, salt, vinegar, sugar and more.
Yusheng during Chinese New Year is a cultural activity for the Chinese population in Malaysia and Singapore and recently become popular although not historically practiced in Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong over the last few decades.
Time To Toss: Yummy Yu Sheng To Usher In The Lunar New Year
- Duo Fish Salmon and Tuna Prosperity Yu Sheng
- Kinki’s Ultimate Yu Sheng
- Yu Sheng with French Flair
- Australian Lobster and Black Caviar Yu Sheng
- Abundance Platter (Get Ready, It’s Not Fish)
- Kingfish and Sake-braised Black Abalone Yu Sheng
5 BEST YU SHENG (LO HEI) IN SINGAPORE TO CELEBRATE CNY
The Year of the Rabbit is right around the corner, and it’s time once again to gather with family and celebrate the Lunar New Year with a bountiful feast to attract prosperity.
No New Year feast is complete without the traditional Yu Sheng, also known as Lo Hei or Yee Sang. It is a salad dish composed of thin slices of seafood with an assortment of shredded vegetables and various condiments and sauces. Diners believe that yu sheng brings longevity and prosperity. The higher you toss your yu sheng, the more luck you will receive throughout the coming year.
Look no further if you are hunting for the best yu sheng to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Singapore. Here is our list of the 5 best Yu Sheng in Singapore 2023 that you can feast on to welcome the Year of the Rabbit:
- YU SHENG @ MIN JIANG RESTAURANT
- YU SHENG @ SHANG PALACE RESTAURANT
- YU SHENG @ JADE RESTAURANT AT THE FULLERTON HOTEL
- YU SHENG @ SUMMER PAVILION RESTAURANT
- YU SHENG @ PEACH BLOSSOMS RESTAURANT
12 YU SHENG (LOU-HEI) FOR AN AUSPICIOUS CNY
Yusang is a dish that appears on the Chinese New Year table in Singapore every lunar year. Catch fish in the New Year, please a good head, and the new year is auspicious and prosperous. Now that times have changed, there are endless varieties of sashimi, no longer limited to traditional sashimi. It is said that traditional sashimi is made by slicing the fish and serving it with freshly picked lettuce, and the combination of the two gives diners an umami taste.
However, in the 60s of the last century, the "four kings" of the food industry have long improved the monotonous fish sang into a rich New Year dish! The ingredients of Yusang are mainly fresh vegetables of different colors, and a colorful fish sang dish has become one of the restaurant's classic New Year dishes.
In recent years, fishing for fish is no longer limited to eating in restaurants, nor does it just appear on the seventh day of the first lunar month. At gatherings to celebrate the Lunar New Year, families like to buy a portion of sashimi to share with friends and family. In addition to poon choi and rice cakes, major restaurants offer a variety of specialty fish sang. I have helped you sort out the following special fish sang, and I wish you a "money rabbit" at the beginning of the year:
- Ya Ge
- YUN NANS
- Sichuan Dou Hua Restaurant
- 5 on 25 (Wuyue Pavilion)
- Sembawang White Rice Noodles (White Restaurant)
- The Hainan Story
- Zui Teochow Cuisine
- Menya Kokoro
- Min Jiang at Dempsey Hill
- Pizza Express
- Sushi Tei
- Man Fu Yuan
Toss to a prosperous 2023 with the 10 best yu sheng in Singapore
Gone are the days when only raw fish was used for this exquisite salad dish. Yu sheng has evolved to utilise other kinds of seafood and even cooked fish.
To usher in the Lunar New Year festivities without breaking a sweat, I’ve compiled this food guide for you to toss to a prosperous 2023 with the 10 best yu sheng in Singapore. May all of you receive lots of blessings and good luck! Huat ah!
- Paradise Group
- Ellenborough Market Cafe (Paradox Singapore Merchant Court at Clarke Quay)
- Chopsuey Cafe
- Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant (Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium)
- Peach Blossoms (PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore)
- elemen 元素
- YUN NANS
- White Restaurant
- Peach Garden Chinese Restaurant
- Orchid Live Seafood
12 Must-Have Yusheng In Singapore For Chinese New Year
Served on a big, round platter, it typically consists of freshly shredded vegetables, fruits, fried crackers, and raw fish. Tossing Yu Sheng is part of celebrating this festive season with family, friends, and colleagues.
Today, there are many different possible combinations of ingredients, from the more conventional Prosperity Salmon Yu Sheng, to Abalone Yu Sheng, Lobster Yu Sheng, to Teochew Yu Sheng. Here are 12 restaurants and caterers that are roaring with their own Yusheng offerings, ready to welcome the New Year:
- Paradise Group of Restaurants
- Prosperity Abalone Yu Sheng
- Tien Court
- Teochew Octopus Yusheng
- Soup Restaurant
- Baby Abalone Yu Sheng
- White Restaurant
- Fortune Abalone Yu Sheng
- JUMBO Seafood
- Prosperity Salmon Yu Sheng 发财三文鱼生
- Neo Garden
- No Signboard Seafood
Lo Hei 捞起 Yúshēng 魚生
The Chinese Lunar New Year is an annual festival where many traditions culminate from exchanging of oranges to the receiving of red packets and more. Still, as far as the Chinese New Year goes, the iconic yu sheng toss remains at the helm of all things festive. Yu Sheng, otherwise known as lo-hei or prosperity toss, is something that we’ve grown terribly fond of. A vibrant centrepiece dish comprising various elements, each boasting its own unique flavour and meaning behind it, the yu sheng is always the first order of business at any family gathering. Yet, as we find ourselves going through the motion of this tradition year in year out, how many of us millennials can actually say that we truly understand this practice and its significance? To a season dedicated to good fortune, family reunion and feasting, here is our guide on lo hei, what it is and what it represents.
Since its origins as a simple raw fish dish back in the 1930s, the recipe has undergone a series of transformations, and even until today, people are still finding innovative ways to present this dish. The dish was brought to Singapore in the late 19th century by the migration of Cantonese and Teochew migrants from China. “Lo Hei”, in Cantonese literally translates to “tossing up good fortune”, and it refers to the ritual adopted in Singapore that involves a group of people gathered around a massive plate, tossing its contents violently while saying out auspicious phrases before eating it—it is popularly believed that the higher the toss, the better your prospects and fortune in the year ahead.
At the very beginning, the salad itself consisted merely of raw fish slices, some vegetables and seasoning to taste. It was only much later on in 1964, where a quartet of chefs—known affectionately as the ‘Four Heavenly Kings’—reinvented the dish and served it at the then, newly opened Lai Wah restaurant. The new salad saw an improvement in texture, colour, and flavour. Key ingredients & what they represent:
- Carrots – Represents good luck.
- Green Radish – Represents eternal youth.
- White Radish – Represents good job opportunities in the coming year.
- Raw Fish – symbolises abundance and prosperity.
- Pomelo – Represents luck.
- Crushed Peanuts – Is a sign that your home will be filled with many valuable possessions.
- Sesame Seeds – Represent the hope that your business will flourish.
- Golden Crackers – Symbolises wealth.
- Plum Sauce – A key component that binds the salad together, it represents stronger ties among family and friends.
- Pepper & Cinnamon Powder – signify the wish for wealth
- Oil – Often drizzled onto the salad in a circular motion rather than poured over. This is to symbolise that money will come from all directions.
Lo Hei 撈起 The Toss For Prosperity
Yusheng 鱼生 Also spelt Yu Sheng, is a Chinese New Year dish, served traditionally on the seventh day of Chinese New Year or Ren Ri 人日 ("Everyman's Birthday"). It is a salad dish made of thin slices of raw fish with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients, mixed with tossing actions by diners. Yusheng literally means "raw fish" but since "fish (鱼)" is commonly conflated with its homophone "abundance (余)", Yúshēng (鱼生) is interpreted as a homophone for Yúshēng (余升) meaning an increase in abundance. Therefore, yusheng is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor.
While versions of it are thought to have existed in China, the contemporary version is created and popularised in the 1960s amongst the ethnic Chinese community and its consumption has been associated with Chinese New Year festivities in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. In Malaysia and Singapore, government, community and business leaders often take the lead in serving the dish as part of official functions during the festive period or in private celebrity dinners. Fishermen along the coast of Guangzhou traditionally celebrated Renri, the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, by feasting on their catches. The practice of eating raw fish in thinly sliced strips can be traced back to ancient China through the raw fish or meat dish known as kuai (膾, kuài). However the present form of yusheng is believed to have started in Chaozhou and Shantou as far back as the Southern Song Dynasty. In Malaya's colonial past, migrants imported this tradition; porridge stalls sold a raw fish dish which is believed to have originated in Jiangmen, Guangdong province that consisted of fish, turnip and carrot strips, which was served with condiments of oil, vinegar and sugar that were mixed in by customers.
The modern yusheng dish debut during Lunar New Year of 1964 in Singapore's Lai Wah Restaurant (Established in Sept. 1963). It was created by four master chefs namely: Than Mui Kai (Tham Yu Kai, co-head chef of Lai Wah Restaurant), Lau Yoke Pui (co-head chef of Lai Wah Restaurant), Hooi Kok Wai (Founder of Dragon-Phoenix Restaurant) and Sin Leong (Founder of Sin Leong Restaurant), as a symbol of prosperity and good health amongst the Chinese. All four Chefs were named as the "Four Heavenly Culinary Kings" of Singapore some 40 years ago for their culinary prowess and ingenuity.