Yee sang is a dish that is usually found in restaurants only during Lunar New Year, but one restaurant is already offering the dish more than a month before the festival kicks in.
It is believed that having Yee Sang will bring in prosperity, and Treasure Kitchen co-owner and head chef Sam Ng said many of his customers had already started ordering the dish for celebratory dinners at the restaurant.
"Chinese New Year is a little late this year, with the first day being Feb 17, so people are already starting to have yee sang even for the Western new year celebrations," Sam said.
"So we decided to start selling yee sang to anyone who pre-orders so people can start early in the year for good luck."
In previous years, yee sang was served at Treasure Kitchen only from the eve of the Lunar New Year.
Yee sang is hugely popular in Malaysia and Singapore during the Lunar New Year.
They usually consist of ingredients such as raw fish, shredded vegetables, peanuts, flour crackers, oil and plum sauce.
Diners perform a ritual called lou hei or lou sang, tossing the dish with chopsticks while shouting wishes for good fortune, health and happiness before eating.
Treasure Kitchen is also offering a special early bird takeaway price until 20 Jan 2026 at $89 (normally $108) for a regular-sized one or $119 (normally $138) for a large one that's meant for 8-10 people.
Exclusive to ChowLuckCard holders, this takeaway offer will be available until 15 February 2026.
THE HIGHER YOU TOSS, THE BIGGER YOUR PROSPERITY
This is one dish where you're supposed to make a mess when eating - spilling the ingredients over the side of the plate means it will bring prosperity in abundance.
The ingredients are considered to be auspicious and yee sang brings everyone together as the salad is tossed at the table.
Diners dig in with their chopsticks to toss all the ingredients as high as possible to bring good fortune.
WHAT IS YEE SANG
Yee sang is Cantonese for ‘raw fish’ and raw fish is the key ingredient in this salad.
Shredded vegetables, pickles, crunchy peanuts and flour crackers are assembled separately on a large platter and then drizzled with a sweet plum sauce for everyone to toss.
HISTORY OF YEE SANG
Yee Sang has its roots in a raw fish dish from southern China, but the version served at Treasure Kitchen is one that was made popular in the 1970s by chefs in Malaysia and Singapore.
It has now become a tradition, and a must-have for Lunar New Year dinners now.
Yee sang is placed in the middle of the table and everyone will toss the salad together, shouting "lo hei", meaning to "stir up prosperity". It is believed that the higher the toss, the more prosperous you'll be for the coming year.
KEEN TO TRY YEE SANG?
Of all the auspicious Lunar New Year dishes, yee sang is probably the one that is most fun to have.
If you want to have one to kick off your dinner party, you can pre-order and save with your ChowLuckCard. Present your card at time of payment and collection at Treasure Kitchen to redeem your special price (valid until 15 February 2026). Deposit required upon order.
DOWNLOAD YOUR CHOWLUCKCARD: APPLE ANDROID
TREASURE KITCHEN GREENLANE 530 Great South Road, Greenlane. www.treasurekitchen.co.nz Ph: 09 5251288
*This article is done in partnership with Treasure Kitchen Greenlane.
