Yee sang or Prosperity Toss is a common dish served as an appetizer during Chinese New Year. Consisting of raw fish and shredded vegetables, “tossing” or mixing the dish with chopsticks is believed to bring abundance through the new year.
Although it is a cultural activity practised by many, not everyone likes the taste of yee sang and it’d be a waste if no one eats the actual dish after the tossing activity (lo hei).
So, this family came up with a solution that is waste-free and can please everyone’s taste buds! Instead of the traditional yee sang, they used a DIY fried bee hoon to “lohei” or toss.
In a TikTok video shared by @goldenblazer12, the family can be seen assembling their “yee sang” on a bed of cooked bee hoon that acted as a base for the dish.
The substitutes
Instead of using the typical yee sang ingredients such as raw fish, pomelo and carrots, the family had their own substitutes for the ingredients they don’t like.
- Prawns replaced raw fish slices to symbolise abundance through the year (年年有余)
- Chicken replaced pomelo for good luck (大吉大利)
- Crabsticks replaced carrots to symbolise upcoming opportunities (鸿运当头)
- Spring onions replaced green radish for permanent youth (青春常驻 )
- Shallots replaced white radish for prosperity in business and promotion at work (风生水起 )
- Eggs replaced peanut crumbs to symbolise a household filled with gold and silver (金银满屋)
- Sausages replace crackers to symbolise a floor full of gold (遍地黄金)
Phew, that’s a lot of changes! Although it’s definitely not a traditional yee sang, the deconstructed fried bee hoon still looks tasty and appetising.
Netizens weigh in
Although some netizens played devil’s advocate and questioned if the dish is still meaningful due to the changes in ingredients, most were amused by the dish and agreed that it’s a great idea.
“But each ingredient has it’s own meaning. What will the lo hei mean once you’ve switched the ingredients?”
Watch the full video below:
@goldenblazer12 Huat ah
To all of you vege haters, maybe you could try this sometime!
Also read: This KL Restaurant’s Modern Take On The Classic Yee Sang Has Huge Chunks of Lobster In It!
