Dine out at Chinese and some Malaysian restaurants over the Lunar New Year period and you may see groups of people gathering around a salad dish, shouting words you may or may not understand, and tossing the ingredients up with chopsticks.
The tossing of yusheng is a Chinese tradition that didn’t actually originate from China, but is mainly observed in Singapore and Malaysia where no Lunar New Year feast is considered to be complete without this colourful raw fish salad.
The ritual of the tossing is called “lo hei”, translated in Cantonese as “tossing upwards” - and it is believed that the higher you toss while shouting auspicious greetings, the more prosperous your year will be.
The name of the dish itself, “yu sheng” in Mandarin or “yee sang” in Cantonese, loosely sounds like “growing abundance”.
Each ingredient on a plate of yusheng has an auspicious significance. The raw fish symbolises abundance, the sauce represents luck, then there are the crispy golden crackers that symbolises gold nuggets and represents overflowing wealth.
When building the yusheng dish, lucky phrases are uttered to accompany every addition. The ingredients are first added and then mixed and thrown from a height to ring in good fortune.
Auspicious greetings accompany the tossing - often led by the waiter or restaurant manager - and most of them have to do with wealth and prosperity.
The original yusheng dish can be traced back to China some 2000 years ago to the Zhou Dynasty when people started eating raw fish slices during the spring festival.
This was introduced to Singapore and Malaysia by the early Teochew and Cantonese immigrants, and the practice evolved into what it is today. Malaysian restaurants started offering yusheng during Lunar New Year here about a decade or so ago.
Although traditionally yusheng was enjoyed only on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year - or ren ri (every human’s birthday) - it has now become the mainstay at dinners during the entire festive season.
LUCKY PHRASES TO SAY WHEN TOSSING YU SHENG
Nian Nian You Yu - 年年有鱼: For growing abundance (represented by the fish slices)
Da Ji Da Li - 大吉大利: For good luck (represented by pomelo or lime)
Cai Yuan Guang Jin - 财源广进: For prosperity (represented by the oil)
Tian Tian Mi Mi - 甜甜蜜蜜: For sweetness in life (represented by the plum sauce)
Bian Di Huang Jin - 遍地黄金: For overflowing wealth (represented by the golden crackers)
Sheng Yi Xing Long - 生意兴隆: For success in business (represented by sesame seeds)
Zhao Cai Jin Bao - 招财进宝: For greater treasures (represented by the pepper and five spice packets)
The real fun starts after all the ingredients are added.
People will then grab their chopsticks, gather around the table symbolising togetherness and harmony, and together toss the ingredients.
The higher the toss the greater the luck they will have.
Exclaim the wishes and greetings for the new year - the louder you shout and more boisterous you are, the more likely your wishes will come true.
WHERE TO HAVE YU-SHENG IN AUCKLAND
Bunga Raya Restaurant
Address: 2A/3062 Great North Road, New Lynn, Auckland 0600
Treasure Kitchen
Address: 530 Great South Road, Greenlane, Auckland 1051
Sum Made
Address: 11 Davies Drive, Albany, Auckland 0632
Lima Bintang
Address: 6 Station Road, Ōtāhuhu, Auckland 1023
Huami
Address: SkyCity 87 Federal Street, Auckland Central, Auckland 1010
While we've rounded up some great spots for yusheng this Lunar New Year, we recommend checking directly with the restaurants for specific details like availability, pricing, and pre-order requirements. Happy tossing!
