Zor Tan, chef and owner of the Michelin-starred Born restaurant in Singapore, was recently in Los Angeles to cook a collaborative dinner with Mei Lin of the 88 Club. One of the dishes on the menu was yu sheng, a Lunar New Year specialty known by several other names, including lo hei or prosperity toss. Made with raw fish and long, thin slices of vegetables and fruits, it is a wonderful salad to serve at any time of the year. But during Lunar New Year celebrations, especially on the seventh day (February 23 this year), families and friends often gather around the yu sheng plate and then toss the salad with their chopsticks while shouting “Huat ah!” or other wishes for prosperity and good fortune in the new year.
The fish can be any sashimi-grade fish: Tan used hiramasa, which is also called yellowtail kingfish. There is also flexibility in the other components. Carrots are considered key to good luck blessings. The green daikon symbolizes eternal youth, as does the cucumber, which can also mean a new beginning, while the white daikon is considered good for business success. Sometimes Tan uses strips of red cabbage (associated with the desire for a large, prosperous family), but in the Times Test Kitchen he used green apple, pineapple and candied orange, all of which are considered auspicious. Instead of peanuts, which is traditional, Tan likes pecans. And although plum sauce is often used to dress the salad, Chef Tan likes to use yuzu for his dressing, which gives his yu sheng a bright, spicy quality. To make it crispier, Tan fries strips of spring roll wrappers (not rice paper, but wheat-based wrappers, sometimes called spring roll dough).
You want to cut the vegetables into long strips so they last longer. If you don't have a mandoline, a sharp knife will also work. Note that this recipe calls for toasted white sesame seeds, which are available in most Asian markets, but Tan usually roasts the raw white seeds himself. If you want to do this, roast the seeds at 320 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.
Watch Zor Tan prepare the salad in this segment of “Chef That!”
For our “Chef That!” In a series of videos, Singapore's Zor Tan of Michelin-starred restaurant Born demonstrates his version of lo hei o yu sheng, known as the prosperity toss salad for the Lunar New Year.
