Explanation of lo hei?!
Answers: can anyone explain what the role of each ingredient in lo hei is? i know that the fish is "nian nian you yu" and the crackers represent gold, but does anyone know what the others mean? thanks.
The reply from onlymanolos1 is from this site http://infopedia.nlb.gov.sg/articles/SIP...
One thing that was left out is the sweet plum sauce, which is poured at the end just before the deep-fried crisps are added. The accompanying phrase to say is 甜甜蜜蜜 (tián tián mì mì), which is to signify a sweet beginning to the new year.
The modern day yu sheng salad is widely acknowledged to have been invented by the then Four Heavenly Kings of the Singapore culinary industry in the 1960s, chiefly Mr Tham Yew Kai, the head chef at that time at Lai Wah Restaurant, who came up with the idea for modern yu sheng (lo hei in Cantonese) in 1964.
But the eating of raw fish by Chinese during the Lunar New Year period goes way back, as explained in this extract from an article in The Straits Times of Singapore in 2003 "While yu sheng was created in Singapore in the 1960s, the origin of this Chinese New Year (CNY) delicacy can be traced back to a simple village practice held by Chinese fishermen in the past. It was traditional for fishermen along the coast of Guangzhou to celebrate the seventh day of CNY, or ren ri, by feasting on their catch as fish, or yu, is synonymous with abundance and prosperity. This cultural practice was then brought to Singapore by migrants where it evolved into fish porridge found at roadside stalls. It was only in the mid-1960s that master chefs Hooi Kok Wai, Lau Yoke Pui, Sin Leong and Tham Mui Kai decided to create a unique CNY dish using the strips of raw fish from the porridge. Combining the raw slices of a local fish with a melange of ingredients including shredded carrots, turnips, ginger and jellyfish, yu sheng was intended to be colourful, tasty and, above all, symbolically auspicious for the allegorically-minded Chinese (cited in A Dictionary of Singlish and Singapore English)".
Invented 1500 yrs ago? I think this dish is invented in the 1960s in Singapore. Even the website that is linked to it suggests that it is a singapore invention. --Run Xuan 01:56, 15 February 2006 (UTC)
The association of eating yusheng as a Chinese New Year celebration is probably a Singaporean/Malaysian tradition. But the food itself comes from Guangdong and surrounding regions.
I'm no expert but I have never seen Chinese cuisine being known for raw fish. I had been based in HK for 12+ years and have travelled through and lived in different parts of China. It's only in Japanese or Korean restaurants in China or Hong Kong that I've seen raw fish. In Chao Zhou (Chiu Chou) cuisine, there is a raw crab dish that is really pickled raw crab. I am now living in Singapore for the past year and have only noticed here the phenomenon of raw fish being part of a ethnic Chinese dish. From anecdotal accounts from friends here, it does seem to be a recent invention perhaps within the last 30 years and certainly not from 1500 years ago. I suspect Yu Sheng's and Lo Hei's origins are from a marketing gimmick from some of the restaurants mixing the then new practice of eating raw fish as increasingly affluent Singaporeans discovered Japanese food in the 70's and 80's. So I highly doubt the accuracy of this article. What would have greater credibility is if Chinese cuisine historians/anthropologist/chefs also provide support evidence for this. DannyCK (talk) 16:23, 28 January 2008 (UTC)
I have found several articles that introduces new information about the origins of yusheng, corroborating a paragraph deleted on 2007-02-27 11:21 that it was invented in Singapore. It seems that yusheng is an elaborate version of an earlier, simpler dish believed to have originated in Guangzhou province. This may explain the confusing and conflicting claims of invention in ancient China.
The articles I have found provide convincing evidence to specific persons and dates of invention and so I am removing the claim to origination in Malaysia in the 1950s. A possible source of confusion is that the dish was first served for Chinese New Year of 1963, which is before the formation of the modern Malaysian Federation. Therefore technically the place of invention was Malaya which predates both Malaysia and Singapore. This may explain the conflicting claim of invention in Malaysia.
Invented 1500 yrs ago? I think this dish is invented in the 1960s in Singapore. Even the website that is linked to it suggests that it is a singapore invention. --Run Xuan 01:56, 15 February 2006 (UTC)
The association of eating yusheng as a Chinese New Year celebration is probably a Singaporean/Malaysian tradition. But the food itself comes from Guangdong and surrounding regions.
I'm no expert but I have never seen Chinese cuisine being known for raw fish. I had been based in HK for 12+ years and have travelled through and lived in different parts of China. It's only in Japanese or Korean restaurants in China or Hong Kong that I've seen raw fish. In Chao Zhou (Chiu Chou) cuisine, there is a raw crab dish that is really pickled raw crab. I am now living in Singapore for the past year and have only noticed here the phenomenon of raw fish being part of a ethnic Chinese dish. From anecdotal accounts from friends here, it does seem to be a recent invention perhaps within the last 30 years and certainly not from 1500 years ago. I suspect Yu Sheng's and Lo Hei's origins are from a marketing gimmick from some of the restaurants mixing the then new practice of eating raw fish as increasingly affluent Singaporeans discovered Japanese food in the 70's and 80's. So I highly doubt the accuracy of this article. What would have greater credibility is if Chinese cuisine historians/anthropologist/chefs also provide support evidence for this. DannyCK (talk) 16:23, 28 January 2008 (UTC)
I have found several articles that introduces new information about the origins of yusheng, corroborating a paragraph deleted on 2007-02-27 11:21 that it was invented in Singapore. It seems that yusheng is an elaborate version of an earlier, simpler dish believed to have originated in Guangzhou province. This may explain the confusing and conflicting claims of invention in ancient China.
The articles I have found provide convincing evidence to specific persons and dates of invention and so I am removing the claim to origination in Malaysia in the 1950s. A possible source of confusion is that the dish was first served for Chinese New Year of 1963, which is before the formation of the modern Malaysian Federation. Therefore technically the place of invention was Malaya which predates both Malaysia and Singapore. This may explain the conflicting claim of invention in Malaysia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Yushen...
Step 1: Fish slices symbolize abundance or excess through the year (Nian-Nian you-yu)
Step 2: Pomelo for both luck and auspicious value (Da-ji-da-li)
Step 3: Pepper is then dashed over the ingredients in the hope of attracting more money and valuables (Zhao cai jin bao)
Step 4: Then oil is poured out, circling the ingredients to increase all profits 10,000 times and encouraging money to flow in from all directions (Yi ben wan li & Cai yuan guang jin).
Step 5: Carrots are added to the fish indicating blessings of good luck. (Hong yun dang tou)
Step 6: Then the shredded green radish is placed on the fish symbolizing eternal youth. (Qing chun chang zhu).
Step 7: After which the shredded white radish is added - prosperity in business and promotion at work. (Feng sheng shui qi and Bu bu gao sheng).
Step 8: Peanut crumbs are then dusted on the dish symbolizing a household filled with gold and silver. As an icon of longevity, peanuts also symbolize eternal youth.(Jin yin man wu).
Step 9: Sesame seeds quickly follow symbolizing a flourishing business. (Sheng yi xing long).
Step 10: 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. (Pian di huang jin).