In Singapore and Malaysia, Chinese New Year is not complete without the lo hei (捞起) tradition. The yusheng is always presented as the first dish at Chinese New Year reunion dinners with family, friends and colleagues, who will toss this colourful raw fish salad together in hopes of having good fortune and prosperity in the upcoming year.
It’s practice to call out auspicious sayings when adding in various ingredients to the yusheng during lo hei, but we’d be first to admit that it’s hard to remember the symbolism behind every ingredient and their corresponding phrases.
Fret not, we’ve come up with an easy step-by-step tutorial, to help you remember these auspicious sayings that are bound to impress elders at the table.
1. Add: Fish
Remember: ‘yu’, which means ‘fish’ in Chinese
Say:
- 年年有余 （nián nián yǒu yú）: abundance
- 鱼跃龙门 （yú yuè lóng mén）：success
- 有余有剩（yǒu yú yǒu shèng） ：abundance
- 如鱼得水（rú yú dé shuǐ）：smooth sailing
2. Add: Lime
Remember: Limes look like oranges (橘子 ju zi), which sounds like ‘ji’ (luck) in Mandarin
Say:
- 大吉大利（dà jí dà lì）：good luck
- 吉祥如意（jí xiáng rú yì）：good luck
3. Add: Oil
Remember: Just like how oil smoothens things, think auspicious sayings to wish for a smooth-sailing year ahead
Say:
- 油田满地（yóu tián mǎn dì）：abundance
- 事事顺利（shì shì shùn lì）: smooth sailing
- 一本万利（yì běn wàn lì）：great profits
4. Add: Plum sauce
Remember: The sweet taste of the sauce, which translates to ‘tian’ in Chinese
Say:
- 甜甜蜜蜜（tián tián mì mì）：sweet
- 美美满满（mĕi měi mǎn mǎn）：blissful
5. Add: Cinnamon powder and pepper
Remember: The red sachet, say things relating to ‘hong’ (means ‘red’ in Chinese)
Say:
- 鸿运当头（hóng yùn dāng tóu）：good luck
- 万紫千红（wàn zǐ qiān hóng）：vibrancy
6. Add: Pok chui crackers
Remember: The crackers symbolise pieces of gold, ‘huang jin’ in Mandarin
Say: 遍地黄金 (biàn dì huáng jīn)
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