What’s Yusheng?

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Yusheng is a colorful Chinese salad made mostly of raw fish and grated vegetables. Created in Singapore in 1964, yusheng is a traditional Chinese New Year dish, mainly found in Singapore and Malaysia. Usually considered an appetizer, salad is symbolic of wealth, prosperity, and good fortune. This dish is often eaten in groups and begins with the lo hei ritual, a combination of ingredients and chanted phrases.

The vegetables used in yusheng are all julienned. A julienne cut consists of long thin strips that appear densely grated. In order to julienne vegetables, you need a julienne slicer or a special vegetable peeler.

Since every food item in yusheng is symbolic of something, the color choices of vegetables are important. Potatoes or radishes are died red and green with food coloring. Also included are white radishes, as well as carrots and cucumbers. Pomela and red pickled ginger are also added.

Traditionally, the fish served with yusheng is mackerel, but other fish, such as salmon sashimi or abalone, may be used instead. Always raw, the fish is cut into strips. The quality of the fish is extremely important when using raw fish in a dish as it does not go through the cooking process to kill bacteria or other dangerous additions that can be present in lower quality fish.

The flavoring of this salad also includes oils and spices. The plum sauce and olive oil are the liquid elements for the dressing. Chinese five-spice powder, ground white pepper, ground peanuts, and toasted sesame seeds are also used. Fried wontons or crackers are also placed in the dish. These wontons always have a pillow shape and are fried to a golden color.

The ingredients are first plated separately, colorfully arranged on serving plates. Individuals place ingredients on their plates one at a time during the hei ceremony. The vegetables are placed first, followed by the spices, then the fish and finally the sauce. After each addition a different Chinese sentence is said. When all the items are on each person’s plate, the salad is tossed for luck, using chopsticks, seven times, while another phrase is chanted.

Each element of yusheng represents something and the phrases sung while serving the salad emphasize these representations. Pomela and carrots symbolize good fortune, while yam symbolizes youth. Prosperity in business is represented by oil, sesame seeds and white radishes. General wealth, especially gold, is symbolized by peanuts, pepper, and wontons. Fish is synonymous with abundance.

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