Prosperity Toss Salad

One of the best things about Chinese New Year is this salad. Traditionally eaten on the 7th day of the New Year, you'll find this on menus all month long but my family always favoured making our own.

All of my New Year celebrations have featured yee sang (魚生) which translates to raw fish. Like the other dishes that are eaten during this holiday, the name of the dish is a homophone for prosperity. It’s fondly known as lo hei (捞起) as families and friends toss this raw fish salad to celebrate togetherness and to usher good fortune. Pomelo, an ancestral citrus fruit is used here as it pairs well with the fish and pickled ginger is added to reduce any taste of fishiness. It also symbolises wealth, prosperity and luck.

Meera Sodha shared a version in The Guardian recently which irked me and many of my friends from the community. I understand that Meera was “inspired” by the dish but it felt lazy not to have provided any context to this symbolic-laden dish. And it was evident that no research was done to explain why the tossing of the salad is part of the ritual. It was a huge misstep on The Guardian’s part not to have commissioned this recipe from any of the talented chefs that come from the diaspora like Abby Lee of Mambow especially at a time when everyone seems to be “Chinamaxxing”.

It is called a Prosperity Salad because the Chinese word for fish sounds like abundance. I’m sure Meera’s beancurd stick noodle salad is delicious but I’m afraid no amount of tossing that dish will bring you any luck.

Yee Sang most likely evolved from a sashimi-like raw fish dish that was eaten in China to become what it is today—a salad, not unlike a slaw full of ingredients that are filled with meaning and symbolism.

In response to The Guardian, I am sharing a recipe for real yee sang. I wanted to publish this today on rénrì (人日), the 7th day of Chinese New Year aka Humanity Day which is when it is traditionally eaten. Although it’s so delicious, most people are happy to eat all the time.

Pomegranates are not traditional but mum always added them and it makes it ever more festive. Our family also prefers using apricot jam for the dressing instead of plum sauce which is the more common choice.

Note that it is impossible to keep the table free of food from all the tossing. It is also impossible not to laugh when tossing the salad as high as possible. It brings out the inner child in us to be given a free pass for making a bit of a mess at the dinner table.