THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LO HEI & WHAT IT ACTUALLY REPRESENTS
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.
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 Lo Hei: A Combinatorial Chinese New Year Tradition
Among the many rich traditions practiced in Singapore as part of our Chinese New Year celebrations, the ‘Lo Hei’ is a festive and sometimes messy ritual that brings people together to invoke wishes for the year ahead while tossing and combining the ingredients of the yu sheng dish — a colourful raw fish salad made with ingredients including green radish, fish, shredded carrot, plum sauce, peanuts and spices. Each ingredient represents blessings such as good wealth, good health and happiness, and as each component is added, wishes of luck and prosperity are recited. These ingredients are then tossed up in the air and mixed — Lo Hei means ‘tossing up good fortune’ — and the higher they are mixed and lifted, the more prosperity it is purported to bring.
It is often assumed that the tradition of Lo Hei was brought from mainland China. However, this particular tradition was actually adopted in the heart of Singapore’s community spirit. The Lo Hei has various components to it, and the modern version of the dish actually marks an evolution of a dish that was historically eaten around Chinese New Year. In Singapore, four chefs are credited with coming up with the modern version of the dish, and according to the National Heritage Board of Singapore, the chefs: “claimed that the Lo Hei practice was not invented by them but was a result of spontaneous reaction of customers to the dish they created. This became a new way of eating yu sheng.”
The magic of the Lo Hei is in the mixing together of the ingredients and the act of tossing them high up into the air to combine them. These traditions have come from a combinatorial innovation approach — building on an existing dish and tradition, that people came together to add to and combine in a new way — that has helped to form a uniquely Singaporean Chinese New Year community celebration. Combinatorial innovation is the combination of existing resources in new ways to create something new and innovative. As a Singaporean, I’m proud of how combinatorial innovation and celebrating the very diverse resources, inputs and traditions that make up our society has created diversity and resilience in Singapore and helped to define our unique culture.
Lohei, Our Way: Celebrating Togetherness, Tossing Up Abundance
A vibrant centrepiece dish comprising various ingredients, each with its own flavour and meaning behind it. The yusheng is usually the first order of business at any family or corporate gathering during Chinese New Year.)
Lohei, or 捞起 in Cantonese, is one of the biggest highlights during Chinese New Year, where families and friends come together to “toss up a good fortune”. The yusheng, 鱼生, is a mixture of thinly sliced raw fish and shredded vegetables, seasonings, and condiments - added one by one in a specific order. Each ingredient symbolises well-wishing. With each added ingredient, an auspicious phrase is recited. Diners would then stand around the table, each with a pair of chopsticks to toss the mix while exchanging blessings. It is popularly believed that the higher the toss, the better one’s prospects and fortune for the year ahead.
The earliest written documentation of eating raw fish in Chinese culture traces back to 823 BCE during the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BCE–256 BCE). During the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE), it became so popular that Chinese scholars such as Cao Zhi wrote poems praising the delicacy. However, towards the end of the Qing dynasty (1889 CE–1912 CE) the dish almost disappeared in China and was only common in the southern parts of Guangzhou and Chaozhou. In the Guangzhou cities of Jiangmen and Shunde, fishermen would celebrate the 7th day of Lunar New Year, or 人日, believed to be the birthday of all of humanity. On this day, the fishermen would feast on their catches – a humble, raw common carp dish mixed with soy sauce, vinegar, peanut oil, pickled shallots, and shredded vegetables.
These early fishermen called the dish yusheng, which plays beautifully on the homophones of both “鱼” (fish) and “余” (abundance), as well as “生”, which means both ‘raw’ and ‘life’. So, yusheng also means “abundance of wealth and long life”. Yusheng was introduced by Cantonese and Teochew immigrants from China. Since the 1930s, what started out as a simple raw fish dish has gone through multiple evolutions to become the dish it is known as today. Early immigrants to Singapore had adapted the dish, such as replacing grass carp with wolf herring to avoid parasites from carp. Yusheng in the 1900s consisted of raw fish, slices of cucumber, radish, and coriander topped with vinegar, oil and sugar. As the dish evolved according to local tastes and ingredients, Loong Yik Kee Restaurant started selling its unique version in 1933, with the addition of pickled vegetables, sugar and vinegar. As the trend caught on, chefs in Singapore started experimenting with their own versions. In 1964, four chefs at the newly opened Lai Wah Restaurant (known affectionately as the “Four Heavenly Kings”) Loke Yuke Pui, Than Mui Kai Yu, Hooi Kok Wai, and Sin Leung, came up with the “七彩鱼生” (seven-coloured raw fish salad). Their version was introduced with improved fragrance, more colours, and served with greater texture and depth with the addition of peanut and flour crisps.
Lo Hei: The art and history behind the colourful dish
Chinese New Year is associated with a whole lot of customs, ranging from spring cleaning to lion dancing. However, one of the most iconic traditions is the Lo Hei. What exactly is it? How did it come about and where can you get your hands on this one-of-a-kind dish when you’re in town? Keep reading to find out. You’ll also see some special deals at the end of the article which makes this enticing local cuisine worth every bite!
In order to understand what Lo Hei is, you will have to know what Yu Sheng is. Yu Sheng, which means ‘raw fish’ in Mandarin, is a large, colourful salad consisting of thin slices of raw fish and a variety of seasonings and vegetables. It’s also a Singaporean dish that many look forward to during Chinese New Year. A Cantonese word which translates to ‘tossing up good fortune’, Lo Hei is therefore the act of people gathering around the Yu Sheng and tossing up the dish while shouting words of blessings in Chinese. But before the great tossing can commence, the preparation of the dish plays just as big a part in the tradition of Lo Hei. Often packed individually, the ingredients of a Yu Sheng need to be added into the salad together with auspicious sayings. And not just any saying — each ingredient is paired with a specific blessing to usher in the new year.
Yu Sheng was originally brought into Singapore by Cantonese and Teochew immigrants from China, but it was quite a different dish then. The evolution into its modern day-style began with the legendary Four Heavenly Kings of Cantonese Cuisine — who worked as apprentices under Hong Kong Masterchef Luo Chen in the 1950s. Under his wing, they earned the nickname for their culinary prowess and ingenuity. Spreading out and opening restaurants all over Singapore, the four were sworn brothers who frequently met up to discuss innovative ideas and recipes — one of them being the Yu Sheng.
LO HEI: SINGAPORE’S FAVOURITE CHINESE NEW YEAR DISH
It’s hard to imagine a Chinese New Year celebration without lo hei – also known as ‘prosperity toss’ – a raw fish salad popular in Singapore and beyond.
There’s a big platter in the middle of the table. As someone tosses slices of raw fish onto it, we all cheer: nin nin yau yu. Then the carrots go in, and it’s a roar of hong wen dong tau. Everyone puts their chopsticks in and mixes the ingredients together, tossing them as high as they can. This goes on for a while, as various components of our lo hei are thrown in. Lo hei, also known as yee sang or ‘prosperity toss’, is a raw fish salad eaten during Chinese New Year, popular among Chinese communities in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Everyone gathers around the table as ingredients are added one by one, while saying auspicious greetings. Each ingredient is usually a homonym of a word in a classic New Year saying. For instance, in nin nin yau yu (‘let there be abundance every year’), yu is the pronunciation for both ‘abundance’ and ‘fish’. In Cantonese cooking – the Chinese cuisine I know best – uncooked foods aren’t generally eaten. That’s not the case with Chaozhou cuisine (also known as Teochew and Chiuchow). Though the city is in eastern Guangdong province, its people have always identified as Chaozhou, rather than Cantonese, and proudly hold onto their own dialect and cuisine. There’s a large contingent of Chaozhou people in Singapore.
Eating raw fish remains common in Chaozhou, but the tradition of eating lo hei as a convivial group activity is believed to have emerged in Singapore in the 1960s. Many say that the idea came from the chefs at Lai Wah Restaurant, an old-school Cantonese eatery that opened in 1963. The practice has spread far and wide, and it’s hard to imagine a Chinese New Year celebration in Singapore without a joyous volcano of sliced fish, julienned vegetables, crispy wonton skins and crushed peanuts accompanied by eruptions of laughter and greetings. Many Singaporean families make lo hei at home, but restaurants are intent on one-upping each other each year. One of the most decadent is found at Shang Palace, in the Shangri-La Singapore – last year, ingredients included poached lobster, abalone, edible flowers and dried figs. The dish has also arrived in Hong Kong. Modern Chinese restaurant Ho Lee Fook offers its own spin, using hamachi sashimi and sweet and sour yuzu and plum dressing.
How & why we toss our lo hei at Chinese New Year: Beginner’s guide to yusheng in Singapore
First off, you may even be wondering what lo hei (also known as yusheng) actually is. The easy explanation? It’s a colourful raw fish salad that is as delish to eat as it is pretty to look at. And it’s SUPER popular in Singapore during Chinese New Year. Lo hei translates in Cantonese to ‘tossing good fortune’, so you’re expected to throw that salad as high as possible before eating it. Each ingredient has a specific meaning and an auspicious saying to go with it – get a local friend to help you with your first toss at your big reunion dinner and, before you know it, you’ll be lo hei-ing like a pro.
Also known as yusheng, the lo hei dish began in China and is served differently throughout the regions. In South China, Guangxi, for example, salads are picked and mixed from sharing plates. The way we do it here in Singapore remains a bit of a mystery – it’s a hotly debated topic with popular theories about its origin. But wherever it came from, this well-loved tradition is something you need to know about when living in this part of the world especially if you happen to be delegated the ‘lo-hei’ instigator at a CNY reunion dinner!
While you may think a simple raw fish salad can’t be that tricky to navigate, with 12 official steps to follow before you can eat this auspicious dish, you’re going to need to know-how. First off, no need to panic: we’ve included all of the steps and a phonetic guide for those of you who haven’t managed to get beyond ‘hello’ in Mandarin yet… And secondly, it doesn’t matter what order you work your yusheng into a frenzy. Just make sure the ingredients all hit the plate at some point, and toss as high as you can! The 12 steps of yusheng:
- Add the raw fish (often salmon, but if you want to be fancy, abalone and other fishy things will do). Saying: 年年有余 (Nian Nian You Yu) Meaning: May every year be filled with abundance.
- Add something citrusy (often pomelo sacs or lime juice) Saying: 大吉大利 (Da Ji Da Li) Meaning: Wishing you great luck and great profit.
- Add spices (usually pepper) Saying: 招财进宝 (Zhao Cai Jin Bao) Meaning: Wishing you wealth and success.
- Drizzle oil over the dish Saying: 财源广进 (Cai Yuan Guang Jin) Meaning: May wealth pour in from numerous sources.
- Add the shredded carrot (or any red vegetable) Saying: 鸿运当头 (Hong Yun Dang Tou) Meaning: Fortune is approaching.
- Add the green radish (or green veggies) Saying: 青春常驻 (Qing Chun Chang Zhu) Meaning: May you be forever young.
- Add the shredded white radish Saying: 风生水起 (Feng Sheng Shui Qi) 步步高升 (Bu Bu Gao Sheng)
- Meaning: May you be successful at work.
- Next up: the peanut crumbs Saying: 金银满屋 (Jin Yin Man Wu) Meaning: May your house be filled with gold and silver.
- Sprinkle the sesame seeds Saying: 生意兴隆 (Sheng Yi Xing Long) Meaning: May your business prosper.
- Drizzle the plum sauce Saying: 甜甜蜜蜜 (Tian Tian Mi Mi) Meaning: May your life be sweet.
- Add golden pillow crackers (our favourite part!) Saying: 满地黄金 (Man Di Huang Jin/) Meaning: May the floor be littered with gold.
- Toss! Everyone stands with chopsticks ready and tosses the ingredients into the air while saying auspicious sayings like “Huat” and “Lo hei”. Repeat seven times (or more) and toss extra high for better luck.
Lo hei cheat sheet: 5 things to know about yusheng, everyone's favourite Chinese New Year tradition
It’s convivial, colourful, messy, loud and always heaps of fun. Which is exactly why so many people look forward to the annual tossing of yusheng come Chinese New Year (CNY) season. The quintessential CNY “prosperity” salad has become an ubiquitous part of festive celebrations in Singapore and Malaysia. But how much do you really know about the dish aside from the constant shouting of “huat ah!” while trying not to poke your loved ones’ eye out with the long chopsticks?
Yusheng ("yusang" in Cantonese) means “raw fish” in Mandarin. The name says it all – this is a salad that contains 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, oil and various seasonings.
Eaten usually during Chinese New Year, there is no longer one “set” yusheng recipe. The dish varies from restaurant to restaurant, household to household, palate to palate, evolving over the decades from a simple salad to one that comprises a wide variety of ingredients. The dish is also sometimes called "lo hei" in reference to the ritual of communal tossing that’s performed before eating it. Loved ones are invited to gather around the large round plate it’s usually presented on.
Yusheng popularised in S'pore in 1964. Shouting auspicious lo hei phrases? No one knows.
Yusheng, the raw fish and shredded vegetable salad dish has been a thing during Chinese Lunar New Year since forever. While this dish and its associated practices are ubiquitous today, yusheng has actually existed in many different variations throughout history.
The history of eating raw fish salad stretches back over 2,000 years. Variations of the dish were brought to Singapore in the late 19th century by the migration of the Cantonese and Teochew from China. Because of this, there were the Cantonese and Teochew versions of yusheng traditionally consumed in Singapore. The Teochew version involved dried fish wrapped in lettuce and dipped in a sauce, while the Cantonese version consisted a simple fish and vegetable salad with salt, sugar, and vinegar.
The version that most people are used to today hails from the Cantonese tradition. But compared to its earlier recipe, the dish has become more complex. So, who made yusheng the way it is today? It was in fact a product of the "Four Heavenly Chefs": Lao Yuke Pui, Tham Yui Kai, Hooi Kok Wai, and Sin Leung. The four chefs had built a serious reputation for themselves as they were all disciples of Hong Kong Master Chef Luo Chen, the Head Chef at Cathay Restaurant in the 1950s
Yusheng
Yusheng (鱼生; yusang in Cantonese), meaning “raw fish” in Chinese, is a salad dish comprising thin slices of raw fish and various seasonings that are mixed together as diners toss the ingredients. It is a dish usually eaten during Chinese New Year. Traditionally a simple dish with few ingredients, the yusheng recipe has evolved over the decades and now comprises a wide variety of ingredients.
The dish of raw fish slices dates back more than 2,000 years in China. The earliest known written documentation of the dish can be traced to 823 BCE during the Zhou dynasty (1046 BCE–256 BCE). It became so popular after the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) that Chinese scholars such as Cao Zhi (曹植) wrote poems praising the dish. Its popularity waned, however, after the Yuan dynasty (1271 CE–1368 CE) due to hygiene concerns. The dish almost disappeared in China near the end of the Qing dynasty (1889 CE–1912 CE) – its consumption became largely limited to the southern parts of Guangzhou and Chaozhou. Today, the dish can still be found in these areas. The fish slices are mixed in peanut oil or dark soya sauce, along with other condiments such as salt, white sugar, peanuts, sesame seeds, garlic, ginger slices, onion slices, sliced turnip and lemon juice.
The custom of having the dish on the seventh day of the Chinese New Year, also known as renri (人日; “everyman’s birthday”), was brought to Singapore with the migration of Cantonese and Teochew people from China in the 19th century. It is believed that the Chinese from Jiangmen, Guangdong province, were the first to start selling the dish in Singapore, which comprised raw fish slices tossed with ginger slices, spring onion, coriander, sesame seeds, lime juice and oil. Traditionally, there are two types of yusheng consumed in Singapore – Cantonese and Teochew. The Cantonese yusheng is eaten on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year – the meal is shared amongst businessmen to ensure a prosperous year ahead. Thinly sliced raw fish is served with an array of vegetables and tossed together in a piquant sauce. Porridge may be served to wash down the taste of the raw fish. For the Teochews, the dish, known as husay, is eaten throughout the new year period. The fish is first air-dried before it is sliced, topped with sesame seeds and served with sliced vegetables and a sweet-and-sour sauce.
How To Lo Hei – 12 Steps To An Auspicious Chinese New Year Yu Sheng
Visiting Singapore during the Lunar New Year period? Join the local Chinese as they bask in festivities over the 15 days of Chinese New Year. Although the tossing of Yu Sheng or Lo Hei is traditionally done on the 7th day, many Chinese restaurants offer this joyous dish throughout the entire 15 days. The dish comprises white and green radish, carrots, capsicum, turnips, red pickled ginger, slices of raw fish (commonly salmon), crackers, topped with the fragrant dressing of plum sauce, five-spice powder, sesame oil and is usually served as an appetiser. Here’s how to Lo Hei and the 12 steps to an auspicious Chinese New Year Yu Sheng.
To conduct a customary Lo Hei, one has to gather your families and friends to toss the ingredients while saying auspicious well-wishes out loud for good luck in the new year. In Cantonese it is known as “lo sheng” with “lo” 捞 also meaning “tossing up good fortune”. The tossing action is called “Lo Hei”, which means to “rise” (起 “hei”), again a reference to a thriving business and thus its popularity with businessmen during the New Year. It is believed the higher you toss the ingredients in the salad, the greater your fortunes will be. Before you get started on the Yusheng, you should offer sincere well-wishes such as 恭喜发财 “Gong Xi Fa Cai” meaning “Congratulations for your wealth” or 万事如意 “Wan shi ru yi” meaning “May all your wishes be fulfilled” to everyone at the table.
The 12 steps Lo Hei before we toss the good luck:
- In goes the raw fish (生鱼, Sheng Yu) 年年有馀 “Nian Nian You Yu” symbolising abundance ‘excess’ through the new year.
- Put in the pomelo (柚子, You Zi) 大吉大利 “Da Ji Da Li” which means good fortunes and luck.
- Sprinkle pepper & cinnamon powder (胡椒粉, Hu Jiao Fen) 招财进宝 “Zhao Cai Jin Bao” to attract more wealth and treasures. This step is a must for business lo hei.
- Drizzle the oil (油, You) You can either use “财原广进 “Cai Yuan Guang Jin” or 一本万利 “Yi Ben Wan Li” while circling the ingredients with the oil to increase all profits 10,000 times and encouraging money to flow in from all directions. Thrill your bosses with this step!
- Throw in the carrots (红萝卜, Hong Luo Bo) 鸿运当头 “Hong Yun Dang Tou” which means good luck is right at our doorsteps.
- Put in the shredded green radish (青萝卜, Qing Luo Bo) 青春常驻 “Qing Chun Chang Zhu” for eternal youth. Good to let the ladies have a go at this one.
- Now goes the shredded white radish (白萝卜, Bai Luo Bo) 风生水起 “Feng Sheng Shui Qi” and 步步高升 “Bu Bu Gao Sheng” which means prosperity in business and promotion at work. This is for all the minions at work.
- Dust finely chopped peanuts (花生粉, Hua Sheng Fen) 金银满屋 “Jin yin man wu” symbolises a household filled with gold and silver. As an icon of longevity, peanuts also symbolise eternal youth.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds over quickly (芝麻, Zhi Ma) 生意兴隆 “Sheng Yi Xing Long” for a flourishing business.
- Throw in Golden Crackers (薄脆饼干, Bo Cui Bing Gan) 遍地黄金 “Bian Di Huang Jin” for hope of riches that literally fill the whole floor with gold.
- Inflows the plum sauce (酸梅酱, Suan Mei Jiang) 甜甜蜜蜜 “Tian Tian Mi Mi” for sweet and loving relationships for everyone
- Toss The Yusheng Shout 发啊 “Huat Ah” and toss the salad for an auspicious 7 times for great luck and wealth in the new year.
Lo Hei viral video sparks outrage over food wastage
A “prosperity toss” video went viral over the Chinese New Year holiday weekend, showing a large group of people at a hawker centre enjoying themselves, shouting and laughing loudly as they threw a big food dish into the air.
One of the diners even opens an umbrella to protect himself from falling food. The short clip, posted as a reel on the Facebook page of a netizen who goes by Isk Gor on the platform, has been viewed over 1.8 million times and shared by many netizens with some people online were less than approving, decrying it as a waste of food.
Mr Melvin Chew, the founder of the Hawkers United – Dabao 2020 Facebook page and owner of Jin Ji Teowchew Braised Duck and Kway Chap, was among those who posted Isk Gor’s video clip, writing, “1 of the reason(s) I don’t like lou hei with lot of people is because of this reason. I don’t like to waste food, it’s not easy to prepare lou hei. You see those doing traditional ways of slicing the cucumber, raddish and carrot, you will see injury all over their fingers. It’s easy for us to pay and eat, but for the one who prepared the food is sweat and blood.
Yusheng and Lo Hei
Lo hei 捞起 (Cantonese for ‘tossing up’) refers to the communal tossing of yusheng 鱼生, a dish comprising fish slices, vegetables, spices and condiments. Traditionally, the practice was commonly observed on Renri 人日, the seventh day of the first lunar month. Today, people can enjoy yusheng throughout the entire Chinese New Year period. Oftentimes, non-Chinese are also invited to participate in this festive activity, which symbolises togetherness and the hope for good fortune in the coming year.
A key ingredient in yusheng, raw fish has been part of the Chinese culinary culture from as early as the Zhou Dynasty (circa 1046 BC–256 BC). By the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911), the consumption of raw fish slices was largely limited to the southern Chinese province of Guangdong and the Chaoshan region. Cantonese and Teochew immigrants introduced the yusheng dish to Singapore and Malaysia in the 19th century.
The original yusheng was simple and had relatively few ingredients: raw fish, cucumber, radish and coriander were topped with vinegar, oil and sugar. The current colourful variation of the dish that is familiar to Singaporeans is known as the Qi Cai Yusheng 七彩鱼生 (‘Seven-Coloured Yusheng’). Many believe that the dish was adapted into its present familiar form by then-chef apprentices Sin Leong, Hooi Kok Wai, Tham Yui Kai and Lau Yoke Pui; the same four were later dubbed the ‘Four Heavenly Kings’ of Singapore’s culinary scene in the 1960s and 1970s. This new yusheng made its debut on the second day of Lunar New Year in 1964. Others trace the origin of the modern-day yusheng to Loke Ching Fatt, a Chinese immigrant who settled in the Malaysian town of Seremban. He was said to have introduced his own colourful interpretation and multi-ingredient version of the traditional yusheng – the Sup Kum Yee Sang 十感鱼生 (‘Tenth Sense Yusheng’ in Cantonese) – in the 1940s.
Yusheng
Yusheng, yee sang or yuu sahng (Chinese: 魚生; pinyin: yúshēng; Jyutping: jyu4saang1), or Prosperity Toss, also known as lo sahng (Cantonese for 撈生) is a Malaysian/Singaporean-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 (餘)" Yúshēng (魚生) is interpreted as a homophone for Yúshēng (餘升) 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 (七彩魚生; "seven-coloured raw fish salad") served in local restaurants during the Chinese New Year period. Also referred to as facai yusheng (發財魚生; "prosperity raw fish salad") or xinnian yusheng (新年魚生; "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 and Hong Kong over the last few decades.
Prosperity Yúshēng 鱼 生 Lo-Hei
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.
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.
Nián Nián Yǒu Yú 2024
Rabbitfish 白肚鱼 for Chinese New Year
Rabbitfish as a symbolic dish in Chinese New Year (CNY)
Rabbitfish is one of the must-buy food during Chinese New Year (CNY). The species commonly eaten is White-Spotted Rabbitfish. Its stomach region is usually bitter. CNY period coincides with their mating season, as a result, the fish taste great. Rabbitfish contains fish roe and milt (fish semen) during this time. Rabbitfish Milt tastes like soft tofu and with a tinge of seafood flavour. This is viewed as an abundance by the Chinese and will also buy it for its taste.
Fish is one of the most eaten food during the Chinese New Year (CNY). The word Fish (鱼yú) has the same pronunciation(余yú) as Chinese idiom 年年有余 (nián nián yǒu yú). Traditional Chinese idiom represents surplus all year round. It is one of the popular auspicious blessings during CNY festive season. Chinese choose Rabbitfish as one of the preferred fish even calling it “发财鱼” prosperous fish. Thus, it is common to buy Rabbitfish as a custom is to wish their loved ones prosperity and living in abundance during reunion dinner. There will often be some leftover fish to symbolise surplus that matches the idiom. Most importantly, CNY reunion dinner is once a year, Chinese will definitely buy it during CNY.
White-Spotted Rabbitfish is also known as Spinefoots and they belong to the Siganidae family. Rabbitfish is a diurnal animal (active during the day). At night, it often hides in between rocks and corals. Younger rabbitfish form large schools, while the adults are usually seen in smaller schools. Some species can reach up to a length of 40 cm. White-spotted Rabbitfish is more commonly found up to 15cm. The rabbitfish elevated spines contain poison glands on its fins. These spines can be found on their fins. As Rabbitfish have venomous spines on their fins, you must act with caution when handling rabbitfish. Although not lethal, its sting can inflict great pain to people. While rabbitfish are not aggressive in nature, however, they do not hesitate to sting predators in self-defence. Rabbitfish is mainly herbivorous. Its diet is based mostly on algae. Some species of rabbitfish eat zooplankton, seaweed and corals.
