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.
Rabbitfish season brings family and friends together for CNY
Rabbitfish is also known as “fa cai yu”, or “get-rich fish”, as it is believed to bring prosperity. PHOTO: MOH ZAKARIA
Rabbitfish is a popular dish that tastes best during Chinese New Year, as its mating season coincides with the festive period and it is said to taste less fishy when filled with roe and milt, the male equivalent of caviar. For some families here, the dish even has a convening power, bringing together extended family and triggering memories of childhood reunion dinners. A group of 19 people from Singapore celebrated this Chinese New Year by feasting on the tropical fish. On Feb 10, Ms Jennifer Chang, 57, took her family to Kiki Beach Resort, a resort on Galang Island near Batam, Indonesia, to savour the delicacy and bring back memories of her late mother’s cooking.
Some of their friends also joined in the festivities. The youngest in the group was four years old and the oldest 62. It was the first time Ms Chang has gathered with her siblings to have rabbitfish since their mother died seven years ago, she said. She hoped to reminisce about the times they spent having rabbitfish with their mother while enjoying the sea view and activities at the resort. “She was the only one who prepared (the fish) for me, so I have missed this dish for many years,” said Ms Chang. “She would try to steam it for me throughout Chinese New Year. I would get many rounds of rabbitfish, as long as they sold it in the market.” Her mother would steam rabbitfish Cantonese-style with garlic, red chilli, sesame oil and soya sauce for the family, she said, adding that it is her favourite way of enjoying the fish.
The dish was cooked only during Chinese New Year because rabbitfish are small and do not contain roe when it is not mating season. “Even though my mum’s cooking was always the best, I’m grateful to Kiki Beach Resort for this special treat,” Ms Chang said. The owner of the resort, Mr James Poh, 59, said mating season for rabbitfish lasts around a week during Chinese New Year, starting from Feb 5 and ending before Feb 15 in 2024. During that time, the meat of the fish tastes firm and sweet, he said. As for its roe, he likened it to foie gras, which is creamy and smooth.
Teochew Style Steamed White-spotted Rabbitfish
Every year before and during Chinese New Year (CNY) period you would definitely be able to see this auspicious "White-spotted Rabbitfish(白肚鱼/拜年鱼)" available at all wet market fish stalls as well as the seafood sections at major supermarkets. These fish taste especially delicious during this season and they are also big in size and comes with roes that are particularly relished too.
Last year I have shared with you a similar Teochew style recipe known as "Pan-fried White Spotted Rabbitfish With Leeks"(recipe HERE) whereas for this year it would be the steamed version which consists similar ingredients. My dad used to cook this dish and according to my mum who taught me this recipe over our phone conservation, she mentioned that in order to maintain the texture and taste of the fish it would be good if I blanched it in boiling water before steaming. (in this case the fish is half cooked and it would not release so much water during steaming which will affect the texture of the meat).
So since I wanted to achieve what my dad used to cook for us, I follow my mum's suggestion and steps to dot and surprising it works well. My steamed white-spotted rabbitfish taste almost 90% like my childhood food. Now at least I have master another traditional food in our household which might comes in handy one of these days.
Teochew-style Steamed White-spotted Rabbitfish 潮式清蒸白肚鱼
This is a signature Teochew dish. The Teochews love their ingredients fresh and the steamed rabbitfish is part and parcel of an elaborate spread that the Teochews eat for brunch called the “Teochew Muay” (潮州糜). Teochew Muay can be likened to the Spanish tapas, where one consumes a large selection of small dishes except that the meal is eaten with plain rice congee.
The consumption of rice congee with a huge platter of at least ten side dishes is a key feature of Minnan cuisine. This practice can be seen from Taiwan to Shantou in Canton where the Teochews live. As a result of the Teochew diaspora, Teochew Muay is eaten in Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and even in France. What mainly distinguishes Teochew Muay from the other Minnan rice congee spreads, is this dish, the steamed White-spotted Rabbitfish.
Ingredients:
4 white-spotted rabbitfish (known in Teochew as “Bair Tor Hir”), descaled and gutted
2 cloves of garlic, shelled and minced
5g fresh ginger, sliced and cut into strip
2 tbs peanut/sunflower oil
2 tbs Shaoxing rice wine
5 ts Chinese fermented soy bean paste
salt and white pepper powder to taste
Steamed White Spotted Rabbitfish - 清蒸白肚鱼
Fish is very commonly eaten during the Chinese New Year because fish in Chinese (鱼) sounds the same as excess in Chinese (余). What many people do not know is that there is a certain delicacy that can be found in our local wet markets. This special delicacy is the rabbit fish. Most of you would know rabbit fish as a common, affordable fish... except during the Lunar New Year season. For a few days in a year - and only for a few days - the rabbit fish sold in local markets are full of creamy roe or milt (fish semen).
It is believed that eating the rabbit fish when its stomach is full of roe or milt is a sign of prosperity. In particular, the Teochews in Singapore believe that eating rabbit fish (pek tor he in Teochew dialect) will ensure good luck for the coming year.
The best way to eat this delicacy during Lunar New Year is to steam it for about 3-4 minutes. You will know that it is cooked when the fish eyes turn white. Eat it with a mixture of lime, soy sauce, chilli and garlic (optional). Remember, don't overcook it so that the roe is not hard but creamy. Last but not least, eat with the joy of looking forward to a fresh new start to the new year, where all things are possible.
Siganus canaliculatus
Siganus canaliculatus, the white-spotted spinefoot, white-spotted rabbitfish, pearly spinefoot, seagrass rabbitfish, slimy spinefoot or smudgespot spinefoot is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a rabbitfish belonging to the family Siganidae. It is native to the western Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean where it occurs on reefs and in lagoons.
Siganus canaliculatus was first formally described in 1797 as Chaetodon canaliculatus by the Scottish explorer Mungo Park with the type locality given as Bengkulu Province on Sumatra. This taxon is largely sympatric with the mottled spinefoot (Siganus fuscescens) and these taxa are also very similar in appearance. Molecular analyses in 2011 found that there were three separate lineages within S. canaliculatus and S. fuscescens, that these lineages interbred and that each lineage had specimens which referred to either taxon, this suggests that S. canaliculatus is a junior synonym of S. fuscescens. This is not the position taken by FishBase[6] or Catalog of Fishes. The specific name canaliculatus means “grooved”, a reference to the grooves in the fin spines. Park did not know that, like all rabbitfishes, these spines contained venom glands for defence.
Siganus canaliculatus has a moderately slender, laterally compressed body, the standard length being 2.3 to 2.8 times its depth. The dorsal profile of the head is weakly to notably concave over the eyes with a pointed snout. The front nostril has a flap, in juveniles this covers the rear nostril, although it becomes shorter as the fish grows and is completely absent in the oldest fishes. The dorsal fin has 13 spines and 10 soft rays while the anal fin has 7 spines and 9 soft rays. The front spine on the dorsal fin points forwards. The caudal fin is nearly emarginate in smaller individuals of less than 10 cm (3.9 in) standard length becoming forked in larger fish. This species attains a maximum total length of 40 cm (16 in), although 20 cm (7.9 in) is more typical. The colour and pattern of the white-spotted spinefoot is very variable. It can be greenish grey to yellow brown and is marked with 100-200 perlescent blue to whitish spots on the nape and anterior part of the body, these are similar in size to a match-head on the lower flanks. There are 2 to 3 rows between the first spine of the dorsal fin and the lateral line, which are roughly one sixth the size of the eye, and another 10 or so rows between the uppermost point of the lateral line and the base of the first spine in the anal fin. Alarmed or injured fishes adopt a pattern where their flanks are mottled with patches of light and dark brown and cream, forming a pattern of 6 or 7 uniformly spaced, dark oblique zones with lighter zones of similar breadth separating them. There is normally dark spot immediately to the rear of the upper end of gill opening, this spot is similar in size to the eye, and a thin bar along the upper margin of the operculum.
Lo Hei 捞起 Yúshēng 魚生
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.