Recipe: Sam Low’s Vibrant Seafood Prosperity Salad

About three years ago, I was first introduced to Yee Sang Lo Hei, a vibrant salad traditionally enjoyed during Chinese New Year in many East Asian countries, especially Malaysia and Singapore. Yee sang translates to raw fish, and lo hei means elevated toss.

My friend Amanda is of Singaporean descent and would host a large gathering at her home during Chinese New Year, where the main activity would be to participate in the prosperous salad toss. The first time I attended one of these events, I was wondering why there was a set-up involving a separate trestle table and a tarp on the ground, indoors, for a salad.

I soon realised that part of the ritual is to toss the salad as high as possible to wish for prosperity to the heights for the coming year. Almost like a food fight, but instead of throwing food at each other, you’re flinging it up in the air wishing for luck, fortune and love, surrounded by people who want it as badly as you do. The tarp makes a lot of sense now.

My version of the prosperity salad has all the components of the traditional one but with some extra things so that it’s just a generally yummy salad, balanced in flavour and texture to excite the palate. The homemade sauces and salmon roe for a pop of briny complexity make it a well-rounded salad that could be prepared not only for Chinese New Year, but any large group gathering.

The Lowdown

Fry wonton skins. Prepare the sauces — one is a simple mix of ingredients, the other is cooked-down plums with seasoning. Prep all the vegetables, tofu and fish and arrange on a large platter. Serve sauces separately and dress at the table before the toss. Ideally prepped the night before and stored in the fridge. Approx. 90 minutes.

Recipe extracted from Modern Chinese: 70+ easy, everyday recipes from the winner of MasterChef NZ by Sam Low. Recipe photography © Melanie Jenkins (Flash Studios). Published by Allen & Unwin NZ, $50, out now.