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Why Singapore's real ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ toss lobster sashimi yee sang in the air for Lunar New Year luck

Long chopsticks poised to stir up some good fortune in a dish of yee sang laden with good luck ingredients at Cassia, Capella Singapore. Photos: Cedric Tan

It’s time again for the colourful yee sang or yusheng – raw fish salad – for yet another year of riotous lo hei.

Yee sang, is a hugely popular tradition associated with Lunar New Year, particularly in the yee sang-mad Lion City of Singapore.

The occasion involves the tossing of the salad with chopsticks – “lo” means mixing, and “hei” up, so “lo hei” literally means “tossing up good fortune” in Cantonese – as people say auspicious phrases for good luck.

As we gallivant towards the Year of the Pig, our appetite for traditional new year delicacies intensifies.

No longer confined to just the 15 days of the Lunar New Year, festive feasting in Singapore is ushered in with the proffer of yee sang in most Chinese restaurants about two weeks before the advent of the Spring Festival.

A lively affair that combines the Chinese love of auspicious meanings and zesty bursts of flavours, yee sang has come a long way from its creation in the 1960s to become one of the most significant new year dishes for ethnic Chinese in Singapore, Malaysia and parts of Indonesia.

How to enjoy yee sang? 

A version of the traditional yusheng, with abalone slices, salmon and lobster sashimi, as well as fresh black truffles, served at Cassia, at Cappella Singapore.

Typically, the call to “lo hei” is as communal as it gets.

It can involve just two people or a packed ballroom of 2,000.

A server will pronounce all manner of good fortune associated with the ingredients, for example fish, for abundance, and crackers for gold and wealth.

Then, at the end of this preparative stage, everyone at the table will be ready with their chopsticks to toss the oversized salad as high up into the air as possible to signify rise and advancement.

This is probably the world’s most ritualistic and dramatic salad course, and the affair is usually far from orderly.

While no one can proclaim with authority who from where created this popular prosperity dish, many now look forward eagerly to the lo hei season, which in Singapore typically lasts for four weeks.

Check out four of the most luxurious versions served at top Chinese restaurants in the island city-state.

1. Shang Palace, Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore

Chef Mok Kit Keung with his version of yee sang, featuring lobster chunks with caviar, abalone and smoked salmon, at Shang Palace, Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore

Chef Mok Kit Keung may be from Hong Kong but he has spent years honing his skills in Singapore.

As a top Cantonese chef overseeing the culinary directions of Shang Palaces in Hong Kong, Singapore and Paris, he is always injecting something forward into his traditional cuisine.

For his yee sang this year – his second festive outing since he took over the reins of Shang Palace in Singapore – Mok has chosen succulent lobster chunks with caviar, tender abalone slices and rosettes of smoked salmon to replace the usually raw fish components.

The saltiness of the smoked salmon adds a new kick to the sweet and zesty salad, and people not in favour of sashimi can still enjoy this traditional delight.

Suckling pig, served with preserved bean sauce, is another dish served to celebrate Lunar New Year at Shang Palace at the Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore.

A master of traditional Cantonese cuisine, the other dishes in his Lunar New Year menu one shouldn’t miss are his suckling pig, served with preserved bean sauce, braised bird’s nest soup with fish maw in pumpkin chicken thick broth and braised four head whole abalone with sea cucumber.

2. Cassia, Capella Singapore

Veteran chef Lee Hui Ngai, of Cassia, Capella Singapore, with his luxurious truffle-infused version of yee sang.

One of the most beautiful Chinese restaurants in Singapore, set in a restored colonial building, Cassia is the perfect spot for people to impress guests with opulent dishes, such as black gold char siu bao – barbecue pork buns – and luxurious double boiled soups.

For chef Lee Hui Ngai, a simple yee sang just wouldn’t cut it – his ultra-luxe version of the traditional salad comes with passion fruit sauce, abalone slices, salmon and lobster sashimi and fresh black truffles sliced on the spot!

A seasoned chef with decades of experience under his belt, Lee’s Lunar New Year menu also includes Iberico suckling pig, slow-roasted pork ribs with garlic sauce and stewed whole abalones.

3. Jiang-Nan Chun, Four Seasons Hotel Singapore

Chef Tim Lam, with his ginger-infused prosperity yee sang, at Jiang-Nan Chun, Four Seasons Hotel Singapore

Macau native Tim Lam arrived at Jiang-Nan Chun last year and immediately raised it up to a one-star establishment with his expertise in refined Cantonese cuisine.

For the forthcoming Year of the Pig, Lam has decided to infuse the sauce of his version of yee sang with fresh ginger to add to the aroma of the sweet sauce in a colourful platter that includes red and orange carrots, salmon and razor clam sashimi.

Braised abalone with mushroom and black moss served at Jiang-Nan Chun, Four Seasons Hotel Singapore

With his famous roast duck a must-have for the Lunar New Year menu, Lam’s other specialities include braised abalone with mushroom and black moss, and cod fillet with Yunnan ham and mushroom. His chilled bean curd pudding with bird’s nest is the ultimate luxurious finish for a prosperity meal.

4. Shisen Hanten, Mandarin Orchard Singapore

Yee sang served at the Japanese Sichuan restaurant Shisen Hanten at Mandarin Orchard Singapore.

Japanese Sichuan restaurant Shisen Hanten’s yee sang is surprisingly localised with fried crispy fish skin its only new touch for the time-honoured dish.

The savoury goodness of the crispy treat does wonders for the salad with added crunch and flavour that balance well with the sweet and sour tanginess of the yee sang.

Yam with hashima and bird nest dessert served at Shisen Hanten, at Mandarin Orchard Singapore.

Shisen Hanten’s famous roast duck is a welcome addition to its festive table, laden with popular dishes such as braised abalone with sea cucumber and roasted chicken with mala sauce.

A delicious taro and hashima dessert served in coconut and topped with bird’s nest is a perfect dessert to ring in a year of grand prosperity.

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We check out four luxurious varieties of the fish salad dish, also called ‘yusheng’, in the Lion City’s top Chinese restaurants, Shang Palace, Cassia, Jiang-Nan Chun and Shisen Hanten