MANILA, Philippines – Embrace the good luck and celebrate the Year of the Wooden Sheep with a happy stomach and a healthy heart.
The whole world has different ways of celebrating Chinese New Year. One of the cultural activities of Chinese people living in Singapore and Malaysia is serving the “flying salad” or popularly known as the “yu sheng salad."
Yu sheng, meaning “raw fish” is a Chinese New Year’s dish traditionally served on the seventh day of Chinese New Year or Ren Ri (every man’s birthday). It is a salad dish made of thin slices of raw fish, shredded green and white radish, shredded carrots, pickled ginger, crushed nuts and pomelo.
Ancient Roots
The roots of the dish extend all the way back to Southern China, the homeland of the Cantonese and Teochew Chinese who migrated to Malaysia and Singapore. The Cantonese people ate a similar raw-fish dish on the 7th day of the Chinese New Year and started developing its significance in festivities.
Modern Yu Sheng Salad
The modern yu sheng served in Malaysian and Singaporean restaurants today can be traced from a group of chefs known as the "four heavenly kings,” who trained together under a Hong Kong master chef. They opened their own restaurant and innovated the salad, tagging it as the “lucky raw fish” and popularized it as a New Year delicacy.
Significance of the Ingredients
The Chinese phrase for "raw fish" homophonically resembles the Chinese phrase for "rising abundance.” While sheng literally means “raw,” it also means “life.” Thus, yu sheng means “abundance of wealth and long life.”
Carrots represent blessings and good luck. Pomelo is for luck and a smooth journey throughout the year while the shredded green radish symbolize eternal youth. Lastly, the crushed nuts represent golden pillows that litter the floor.
The Chinese phrase for "raw fish" homophonically resembles the Chinese phrase for "rising abundance.”
Tossing the salad as a ritual
The ingredients are served on a platter. In Cantonese, yu sheng is also known as lo sheng with lo meaning “tossing up good fortune.” The tossing action is called lo hei, which means to “rise” (hei), again a reference to a thriving business. As the ritual begins, the diners start tossing the salad with their chopsticks while crying out auspicious sayings. Supposedly, the higher you toss, the more luck you’ll have for the new year.
As the ritual begins, the diners start tossing the salad with their chopsticks while crying out auspicious sayings. Supposedly, the higher you toss, the more luck you’ll have for the new year.