Yee Sang (Prosperity Toss Salad) TO CELEBRATE THE Lunar NEW YEAR
Recipe and Photography by Lily Morello @LilyBubbleTea
It’s the eve of the Lunar New Year, so it’s time for Yee Sang, or prosperity toss salad!
For Malaysian-Chinese families like mine, this salad is typically served on this day as part of a reunion dinner. Each ingredient has some sort of symbolism for good wishes for the new year—for example, salmon is often featured in the middle of modern yee sang to symbolize abundance.
Other ingredients that I used: citrus and carrot to symbolize gold, daikon for moving up in life, cucumber for good returns, red bell pepper for luck, scallions for fresh ideas, leafy greens for wealth, ginger for freshness, and fried wontons to represent gold bars. The plum sauce dressing represents the sweet things in life and after pouring it on, everyone tosses the salad together with their chopsticks, shouting their LNY wishes. The louder you shout and higher you toss, the more prosperity and good fortune you will have in the new year!
For the Dressing
2 tablespoons plum sauce
Juice from 1/2 tangerine or mandarin orange, about 1 tablespoon
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoon sesame oil
For the Salad
5 wonton wrappers
Neutral oil, for frying
1–2 scallions, green parts only
1 daikon (about 8–10 inches), peeled
2–3 carrots, peeled
1 cucumber, peeled
1 4 oz portion of Kvarøy Arctic Salmon Fillet or 1 package of Kvarøy Arctic Smoked Salmon
1/2 bell pepper, julienned
1 mandarin or cara cara orange, peeled and cut into segments
1/4 cup pickled ginger
1/2 cup cilantro, leaves picked
2 tablespoon roasted unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped or crushed
2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
DIRECTIONS
To make the dressing, combine the ingredients in the order listed, whisking thoroughly in between. Set aside.
To make the wonton crisps, cut each wonton wrapper in half, and then cut halves into 1/4-inch strips. In a small pot, heat enough neutral oil to submerge the wonton pieces. (You can test if the oil is hot enough by adding one piece of wonton wrapper; if it bubbles and crisps immediately, the oil is ready.) Deep fry the wonton strips in hot oil until they are golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel to drain and set aside.
To make the scallion curls, cut the scallion greens lengthwise into long, thin strips. Submerge in ice cold water in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the salad and they will naturally curl. Alternatively, scallions could be cut on a bias into thin strips.
Use a grater or a julienne peeler to shred the daikon and carrots. Repeat with the cucumber, but try to exclude the watery center with the seeds. Keep the shredded ingredients separated until ready to assemble the salad.
If using Kvarøy Arctic Salmon Fillet, remove the skin and cut salmon into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange raw or smoked salmon into a rose, if desired.
Assemble the salad by arranging the daikon, carrot, cucumber, fried wonton crisps, bell pepper, scallions, orange segments, pickled ginger, and cilantro into distinct sections on the serving platter. Place the salmon in the middle. Keep the peanuts, sesame seeds, five spice powder, and prepared dressing on the side.
When it is time to serve, place the salad platter in the center of the table. Add the peanuts, sesame seeds, five spice powder, and dressing one at a time, proclaiming good wishes for the new year as each is added. Then, have all participants stand and begin tossing together the salad with chopsticks, calling out wishes for prosperity—the louder you shout and higher you toss, the more growth and fortune will come to you in the new year!
Note: This salad recipe serves about 4–6 people as a starter course for a Lunar New Year dinner. Amounts for ingredients are provided as guidelines and can be customized according to taste.