#puff crackers

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.

Let me tuck into my plate of Yu Sheng and I will tell you how it tasted. The first impression is the sweetness from the plum sauce but not overly saccharine with hint of acidity from the plum and lime juice. The thinly julienned vegetables are crisp with additional crunch from the pok chui crackers. You also get that smoky saltiness from the smoked salmon to complement the sweetened salad. Overall, it is a refreshing change from the usual meals we had for Chinese New Year.

Today, the common form of yusheng is the 七彩鱼生 (Seven-coloured Raw Fish salad) served in local restaurants during the Chinese New Year period. Also referred to as 发财鱼生 (Prosperity Raw Fish Salad) or 新年鱼生 (Chinese New Year Raw Fish Salad), this colourful take on yusheng was said to be created in the 1960s by chefs Lau Yoke Pui, Tham Yui Kai, Sin Leong and Hooi Kok Wai, together known as the “Four Heavenly Kings” in the Singapore restaurant scene.

The ritual of eating yusheng during Chinese New Year involves all the people at the table tossing the salad and uttering auspicious phrases. The dish is deemed auspicious because of the homonymic meanings behind its ingredients, which suggest blessings and good fortune for the new year:  鱼(Yu) is a homonym for “fish” and “abundance”, while 生 (Sheng) means both “raw” and “life”. Together, yusheng implies “abundance of wealth and long life”. In the Cantonese dialect, the dish is known as 捞起 (Lo Hei), where “lo” implies “tossing up good fortune” and 起 (Hei) means “to rise”, again a reference to a prosperous business and thus its popularity with businessmen during the new year celebrations. The ingredients of yusheng vary among restaurants, and one such recipe is presented below along with examples of auspicious phrases that may be uttered as each ingredient is added.

Step 1: All at the table offer auspicious greetings.

Words: 恭喜发财 (Gong Xi Fa Cai - Wishing you wealth and good fortune) or 万事如意 (Wan Shi Ru Yi - May all your wishes be fulfilled).

Step 2: Add fish, which symbolises abundance or excess through the year.

Words: 年年有余 (Nian Nian You Yu)

Step 3: Add pomelo over the fish for luck and auspicious value.

Words: 大吉大利 (Da Ji Da Li)

Then dash pepper over the ingredients for greater prosperity and fortune.

Words: 招财进宝 (Zhao Cai Jin Bao)

Pour oil, circling the ingredients to symbolise the multi-fold increase of profits and to encourage money to flow in from all directions.

Words: 一本万利 (Yi Ben Wan Li) and 财源广进 (Cai Yuan Guang Jin)

Step 4: Add carrots to the fish, indicating blessings of good luck.

Words: 鸿运当头 (Hong Yun Dang Tou)

Then place shredded green radish on the fish, symbolising eternal youth.

Words: 青春常驻 (Qing Chun Chang Zhu)

Next, add shredded white radish for prosperity in business and promotion at work.

Words: 风生水起 (Feng Sheng Shui Qi) and 步步高升 (Bu Bu Gao Sheng)

Step 5: Add condiments. First, sprinkle peanut crumbs on the dish, symbolising a household filled with gold and silver. As an icon of longevity, peanuts also symbolise eternal youth.

Words: 金银满屋 (Jin Yin Man Wu)

Sesame seeds follow, symbolising growth in business.

Words: 生意兴隆 (Sheng Yi Xing Long)

Add deep-fried flour crisps in the shape of golden pillows, with wishes that literally translate to mean that the whole floor would be filled with gold.

Words: 遍地黄金 (Bian Di Huang Jin)

Step 6: All at the table stand up and toss the salad an auspicious seven times with loud shouts of Lo Hei (捞起) and other new year wishes.

Action: Mix ingredients by pushing them towards the centre, which is an encouragement to push on the good luck to all at the table. Some may lift clumps of the salad as high as possible to symbolise the increase in good fortune.

This Yu Sheng (鱼生) only came with five small pieces of abalones so we enhanced it with an additional can of baby abalones. When we are ready to toss, we found out that the restaurant had mistakenly given us two containers of oil instead of one oil and one yuzu sauce. Without the sauce, there is no sweetness, so sis quickly juiced a couple of Mandarin oranges to replace the forgotten sweet sauce. Overall, not a satisfying eat due to the lack of a crucial condiment.

Besides the usual thinly julienned vegetables 🥗 that come in natural and dyed colours, the salad also included pomelo pulps, mandarin orange 🍊 segments and grapes 🍇. Although it wasn’t specified on the packaging, the tangy and sweet secret sauce should be citrus based rather than plum with cinnamon powder and grounded pepper pre-mixed inside. Mum said she preferred this tiger 🐯 theme Yu Sheng over the other one we had for our reunion dinner.