The Chinese New Year is coming soon, so we did the lo hei tradition at work. First, what is lo hei?
The tradition of Lo Hei or Lo Sheng stems from the phrase’s Cantonese meaning of ‘tossing up good fortune’ using Yu Sheng or Fish Salad that symbolises ‘an abundance of wealth and long life’. The word hei or ‘rise’ is in reference to a thriving business and thus, its popularity with businessmen during the New Year. Consisting of white and green radish, carrots, capsicum, turnips, red pickled ginger and such, this dish is usually served as an appetiser where families and friends gather to toss the ingredients while saying auspicious well wishes out loud to bring in good luck. It is also believed that the higher you toss, the greater your fortunes will be.
Meaning of Ingredients:
The raw fish is added, symbolizing abundance and excess through the year. 年年有余 (Nian Nian You Yu) meaning “Abundance through the year”, as the word “fish” in Mandarin also sounds like “Abundance”.
The pomelo or lime is added to the fish, adding luck and auspicious value. 大吉大利 Da Ji Da Li meaning “Good luck and smooth sailing”
Pepper is then dashed over in the hope of attracting more money and valuables. 招财进宝 Zhao Cai Jin Bao meaning “Attract wealth and treasures”
Then oil is poured out, circling the ingredients and encouraging money to flow in from all directions. 一本万利 Yi Ben Wan Li meaning “Make 10,000 times of profit with your capital” 财源广进 Cai Yuan Guang Jin meaning “Numerous sources of wealth”
Carrots are added indicating blessings of good luck. 鸿运当头 Hong Yun Dang Tou meaning “Good luck is approaching”. Carrot (红萝卜) is used as the first character 鸿 also sound like the Chinese character for red.
Then the shredded green radish is placed symbolising eternal youth. 青春常驻 Qing Chun Chang Zhu meaning “Forever young”. Green radish is used as the first character 青 also sound like the Chinese character for green.
After which the shredded white radish is added – prosperity in business and promotion at work. 风生水起 Feng Sheng Shui Qi meaning “Progress at a fast pace” 步步高升 Bu Bu Gao Sheng meaning “Reaching higher level with each step”
The condiments are finally added. First, peanut crumbs are dusted on the dish, symbolizing a household filled with gold and silver. 金银满屋 Jin Yin Man Wu meaning “Household filled with gold and silver” Sesame seeds quickly follow symbolising a flourishing business. 生意兴隆 Sheng Yi Xing Long meaning “Prosperity for the business” Deep-fried flour crisps in the shape of golden pillows is then added with wishes that literally the whole floor would be filled with gold. 满地黄金 Man Di Huang Jin meaning “Floor full of gold.”
Our team gathered around a table with this:
We opened up the ingredients and poured them into the dish one by one.
Then we gathered up the plastic table cloth around the yu sheng and started tossing the ingredients into the air with our chopsticks. We got so carried away that we ended up with this:
Surely the messiest lo hei I have ever been a part of! Some ingredients even ended up on our sleeves, hair, and the ceiling. 😮
If you want to order your own yu sheng, you can do so via Foodpanda and have it delivered to your doorstep!
You can also get CNY bundles at pocket-friendly prices.
With possibly the best prices and quality in town, welcome the Goat year with dishes signifying good fortune and prosperity!
That sounds really fun!
One of my guy friend would <i>accidentally</i> pour ingredients on our hands during lo hei session.. but on hair?! Win!
Omg why. Haha. <br />Yeah, we had to pick sesame seeds from our manager's hair.
Omg why. Haha. <br />Yeah, we had to pick sesame seeds from our manager's hair.
One of my guy friend would <i>accidentally</i> pour ingredients on our hands during lo hei session.. but on hair?! Win!
Omg why. Haha. <br />Yeah, we had to pick sesame seeds from our manager's hair.
That sounds really fun!
Omg why. Haha. <br />Yeah, we had to pick sesame seeds from our manager's hair.