Yee Sang

Chinese New Year is around the corner, & this is one of the few times the Perutbesi members really sweat-out in action! Food, as everyone knows is the one thing that drives the Perutbesi ;) With Chinese New Year just a stone's throw away, we can't miss the good food & the warmth of family gatherings for a stretch of 15 days!

Yee Sang is one dish not to be missed! Some of you may have tried it before. No worries about halal or not, cos the market has grown to accomodate people of all walks of life! There are places offering Yee Sang that is both halal & non-halal. If you think it's a hassle to go all the way to a Chinese restaurant & pay the hefty sum, the supermarket offers the 'instant yee sang' as well!



So, what actually is Yee Sang?

Plainly speaking, it's a 'salad' (yes, yet another type of salad!) served during Chinese New Year, with raw sliced fish/ strips of jelly-fish, and lemon/lime juice added to the fish before serving the dish.

This Yee Sang consists of carrots, tea sweetmelon, pomelo, ginger, peanuts, sesame, crispies, plum sauce, pepper, 5-spice powder, and of course, the fish and lime!

Loh Hei, as it is commonly refered to, means liveliness, prosperity and longevity. This practice is said to herald prosperity for the coming year. Family members and friends will usually gather around the table and use their chpsticks to toss the dish, the higher the better, while shouting out words of 'prosperity' or good wishes to each other.

If you have the opportunity to loh hei, do cease the opportunity! It is not only fun, but the significance may come true ;) Who knows?

Read more:

• Lily's Wai Sek Hong
  


• All Malaysia Info

- Ruth