Among Lunar New Year food traditions, yusheng may be the most chaotic of them all.
The colourful raw fish salad is known by many names – including yee sang, lo sahng, lo hei and prosperity toss – but the format is instantly recognisable. Diners gather around a large dish featuring a kaleidoscopic array of shredded fresh and pickled vegetables and sliced raw fish (often salmon).
Often items such as crushed peanuts and crunchy fried dumpling skins are added for texture, along with condiments such as plum sauce and sesame oil.
The name of each ingredient is typically associated with a blessing or an auspicious saying, and these are uttered as they are added to the dish in turn.
The main event is the titular toss – diners use their chopsticks to dig into and then lift the ingredients high into the air, while repeating further auspicious sayings.
According to superstition, the higher the toss the greater your fortune will be in the coming year; the Cantonese name for the dish, lo hei, can literally mean “mixing happiness”.
