Prosperity Yue Sang (Ho Wan Yue Sang) or Raw Fish Salad

The south Chinese had for centuries been eating raw fish salad in one simple form or another. They sell it as a side dish to rice porridge using perhaps threadfin tossed with sesame oils, seeds, soy sauce and ginger with a simple greens like sliced lettuce and carrots. Fish or "Yue" can mean ease and prosperity. But these migrants and their descendants that came to Singapore and called it home had even better ideas. " I decided to jazz up a version up for Chinese New Year and call it Ho Wan Yu Sang ( good tidings or prosperity raw fish salad) to augment it with all the auspicious connotations that comes with celebrating Chinese New Year.", was what the late chef Lau Yoke Pui said and decided to worked his team of Four Heavenly Chefs (a official title and award given to those four chefs in the 70s). They created this in the 50s and the rest is history. It came piled up high with julienne greens and colourful honey cured ginger, doused with plum sauce, sesame seeds and oils, , toasted crushed nuts, pepper, salt , crackers and topped with slices of thinly sliced fresh sashimi. Almost every Chinese and their non Chinese friends must have it for the festival to signify new bonds and harmony. The family gathers around it and toss them almost wildly together ( a sight to behold indeed) in unbridled joy while uttering auspicious Chinese New Year idioms loudly to drive bad spirits away. It is so prevalent today that it is sold in fancy Chinese restaurants and even hawker centre stalls. It is the most iconic CNY dish in Singapore and Malaysia.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Fa
• Choi
• Yu
• Shang

[rhubarberuru]

thanks to you I can make my yusheng here for my son who is saying that cny is not cny without this salad....

[JogBird]

youre like a Chinese Jaime Oliver