First of all, Mr S. and I would like to wish you all a Happy Chinese New Year! (and a Happy Australia Day!).
Now before the Mother gives me the disapproving look, let me say it properly...GONG XI FA CAI!
Now if there are two things I love about Chinese New Year other than Ang Paos (red packets of money), it's Yee Sang and gambling!
Yee Sang or Yusheng is a colourful salad made up of strips of raw fish (we always use salmon) and various condiments such as pickled onions, ginger, jellyfish, radish, seaweed, sesame seeds, Chinese shrimp crackers and turnip - all dressed with a sweet plum sauce.
Yee Sang is normally prepared on the seventh day of Chinese New Year to commemorate the day that mankind was created from a Chinese deity.
The ingredients of this sweet and sour salad are placed separately in a dish as everybody arms themselves with chopsticks. Sometimes pepper or five spice powder will be placed inside an Ang Pao (red packet) and sprinkled over the salad. As everybody cheers "Lo Hei!", they dive in and mix the salad en masse, tossing it in the air. The belief is the higher you toss the salad, the more luck and prosperity will be bestowed. Just before the mass tossing of the Yee Sang, we would yell out our wishes - winning Lotto or Powerball is usually the common desire!
It's quite a bit of preparation and work if you are making from scratch but luckily there are Asian grocery stores in Sydney that sell ready-made packs of Yee Sang - complete with all the condiments, flavourings and the sauce so all we had to do was to open them and serve!
Of course it's all based on superstition but there's nothing wrong with a bit of tradition! More importantly from a foodie's point of view, it's an absolutely divine salad and I need all the luck I can get for Chinese New Year tradition number two...
...gambling and Mahjong!
Yee Sang is normally prepared on the seventh day of Chinese New Year to commemorate the day that mankind was created from a Chinese deity.
The ingredients of this sweet and sour salad are placed separately in a dish as everybody arms themselves with chopsticks. Sometimes pepper or five spice powder will be placed inside an Ang Pao (red packet) and sprinkled over the salad. As everybody cheers "Lo Hei!", they dive in and mix the salad en masse, tossing it in the air. The belief is the higher you toss the salad, the more luck and prosperity will be bestowed. Just before the mass tossing of the Yee Sang, we would yell out our wishes - winning Lotto or Powerball is usually the common desire!
The aftermath...bound to get a little messy!
It's quite a bit of preparation and work if you are making from scratch but luckily there are Asian grocery stores in Sydney that sell ready-made packs of Yee Sang - complete with all the condiments, flavourings and the sauce so all we had to do was to open them and serve!
Of course it's all based on superstition but there's nothing wrong with a bit of tradition! More importantly from a foodie's point of view, it's an absolutely divine salad and I need all the luck I can get for Chinese New Year tradition number two...
...gambling and Mahjong!
Gong Hei Fa Cai to you!
The yee sang is always fun, and ooh I haven't played mahjong in years!
Hi Karen, It was nice to meet you last Friday night. Happy CNY to you and your family as well. The best thing about CNY for me is the glorious food =D
Gong Hei Gong Hei!!
I see you are lo-hei-ing big time yourself!!! Gosh, I miss mahjong... I need to find some kaki to play with!
Happy New Year Karen! Wow, that dish sounds like fun-haha if kids got into that :P
Happy CNY to you! Yee Sang is only something i've experienced for the last two CNY, but it's definitely one of the highlights of the period. Hope you have a prosperous and food-filled year xD
Happy new year to you, Karen and Mr S! Lovely to see you last week. Hope you got lots of lai see!
Oohh Happy New Year!! Yay for Mahjonnngggg. Ponnnggg! I really want to play now haha
Hi Helen: Gong Xi Fa Cai to you too! I think it's time to break out the mahjong set!
Hi Linda: Great to meet you too! We must do it again. Happy CNY to you and your loved ones :) Ditto with the food!
Hi Billy (aka Kylie Kwong lol!): CNY just isn't the same without the 'lo-hei-ing'! Refer to response to Helen re: mahjong :)
Hi Lorraine: haha we don't allow the kids near the yee sang. Us adults make enough mess of it as it is!
Hi Chris: Wishing you (and Tim) a very happy CNY too :)
Hi Belle: Lovely to see you too! Happy CNY to you!
Hi FFichiban: Bring it on Richard! (pong!) Happy CNY!
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