Yee sang lo hei (prosperity toss salad)

This is one of the most interactive Lunar New Year dishes, where each salad ingredient as its added to the plate is accompanied by a lucky saying. Together, guests at the table call out lucky sayings, culminating in a ‘prosperity toss’ at the end: use your chopsticks to toss the salad as high as you can. It’s believed that the higher you toss your salad, the more prosperous you will be. This version from Ho Jiak’s Junda Khoo would also be a great summer salad.

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Lucky sayings vary from family to family, but here are some that you can try, complete with English translations with puns by comedian and food enthusiast Jennifer Wong.

• Salmon 年年有余 Best fishes! May you always have more than enough!
• Yellow pickle 财运亨通 May you not be caught in a pickle!
• White radish 步步高升 May you be radish-cally successful!
• Carrot 鸿运当头 May good fortune - like 24 carrot gold - be upon you!
• Red cabbage 风生水起 May you be red-dy for much prosperity!
• Green apple 平平安安 May these apple pieces bring you peace!
• Pickled ginger 鸿运当头 May you be red-dy to receive much luck!
• Coriander 青春常驻 May you be forever fresh and young! 
• Wonton skin 满地黄金 May your floor be wontonly splashed with gold!
• Sesame 生意兴隆 May your business flourish! May you suc-seed! Like a sesame seed!
• Crushed peanut 金玉满堂 May your business thrive! May you not be paid peanuts!

Ingredients

Salad 

• 50 g wonton skin 
• 400 g salmon sashimi 
• 40 g trout or salmon roe
• 100 g yellow pickled radish 
• 100 g white radish 
• 100 g carrot 
• 100 g red cabbage 
• 100 g Granny Smith apple 
• 100 g red ginger 

Sauce 

• ½ tbsp sesame oil 
• 2 tbsp plum sauce 
• 1 tbsp maltose 

Toppings

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds 
• 1 tbsp crushed peanuts 
• 1 tsp salt and pepper
• Coriander, to garnish

Instructions

1. Cut the wonton skins into strips and fry in hot oil until they are crisp and golden.
2. Optional: Form the salmon pieces into a rose shape by wrapping them around each other in a coil.
3. Finely hand-cut or shred the Granny Smith apple and vegetables. Keep them in separate small bowls and soak them in water until it is time to use them. To prevent the Granny Smith apple turning brown, soak in salt water.
4. Mix sauce ingredients together.
5. To assemble the salad, place the salmon in the centre of a large plate.
6. Top the salmon with trout or salmon roe.
7. Arrange piles of remaining salad ingredients to form a circle around the salmon, and top with wonton skin crisps.
8. Add the toppings one at a time.
9. Add the sauce ingredients to the salad in a circular motion.
10. Invite fellow diners to use their chopsticks to toss the salad up as high as they can, and wish each other happy new year.

 

Celebrate Lunar New Year with SBS

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Lucky sayings vary from family to family, but here are some that you can try, complete with English translations with puns by comedian and food enthusiast Jennifer Wong.

• Salmon 年年有余 Best fishes! May you always have more than enough!
• Yellow pickle 财运亨通 May you not be caught in a pickle!
• White radish 步步高升 May you be radish-cally successful!
• Carrot 鸿运当头 May good fortune - like 24 carrot gold - be upon you!
• Red cabbage 风生水起 May you be red-dy for much prosperity!
• Green apple 平平安安 May these apple pieces bring you peace!
• Pickled ginger 鸿运当头 May you be red-dy to receive much luck!
• Coriander 青春常驻 May you be forever fresh and young! 
• Wonton skin 满地黄金 May your floor be wontonly splashed with gold!
• Sesame 生意兴隆 May your business flourish! May you suc-seed! Like a sesame seed!
• Crushed peanut 金玉满堂 May your business thrive! May you not be paid peanuts!