Toss some colorful 'yee sang' for a year of prosperity

Susanna Tjokro, Contributor, Jakarta

Yee sang literally means "raw fish" in Chinese.

But eating yee sang as part of the Lunar New Year -- or Chinese New Year -- celebrations is more than simply eating raw fish, as it is also a meaningful festive dish.

This colorful salad, which is typically made only around Chinese New Year, is believed to bring prosperity and good fortune to those who eat it.

The yee in yee sang means not only "fish", but also means eternal wealth, while sang means not only "raw", but also emerging and alive. In other words, this Chinese salad symbolizes prosperity and longevity.

Finely shredded ingredients, such as white radish, carrots, preserved winter melons, pickled cucumbers, fresh and pickled ginger, pomelo pulp, coriander leaf, a generous sprinkling of crispy crackers, chopped roasted peanuts, sesame seeds and thin slices of raw fish makes yee sang a colorful dish that delights the eyes.

These separate ingredients were laid out in a decorative array on a large table in the Sailendra restaurant at the JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta. The hotel ushered in the Year of the Rooster on Tuesday with the traditional Chinese Lion Dance and yee sang. Making a racket is crucial in warding off evil spirits and bad luck so that good luck can enter, and a group of cymbal players, drummers and gong players beat rhythmically and loudly as the lions danced.

The Lion Dance has always been a demonstration of martial arts skills. Each lion is made up of two dancers -- one as its head and the other as its body. The lions move vigorously and energetically, jumping, stomping, shaking their heads and scaring the evil spirits away.

When the lions stopped dancing, the guests were invited to participate in lo sang -- the salad tossing ceremony. Tossing the salad believed to be more important than eating it, as lo sang means to "stir up prosperity" in Cantonese.

Many diners, including several Chinese-Indonesians, looked somewhat hesitant at first, being unfamiliar with the tradition. As soon as the meaning of lo sang was explained to them, however, the guests -- a mix of Asians and Westerners both -- gathered excitedly around the table.

Everyone at the table, armed with a pair of long chopsticks, mixed, raised and tossed the salad into the air together.

Young and old were encouraged to toss the yee sang higher and higher to bring in good luck, prosperity and success for the coming year, as it is believed that the higher the salad is tossed, the greater the prosperity that will be enjoyed throughout the year.

It is also believed that salad-tossers should cry "Low hei" for good health, prosperity and longevity.

The salad tossing lasted less than a minute, but it was fun to play with food. The colorful ingredients landed on the table and floor, as well as our heads, and everyone was excited, hoping for good luck and success this year.

Yee sang is on the menu at the JW Marriott's Pearl Chinese restaurant from Feb. 8 to Feb. 23 -- but for the tasting, not the tossing.

Variations are also available, such as sliced squiggles of jellyfish and raw salmon slices, to mix with the vegetables. The dressing is sweet and sour plum sauce with a drizzle of vegetable oil, lime juice and a dash of white pepper.

For those who have never heard of yee sang, this Chinese raw fish salad is worth a try, whether or not you need to be assured of good luck throughout the year. At the very least, it would be an occasion to try another exotic -- and slightly unusual -- cuisine. The bonus is that this food may actually bring you good luck -- a positive thought to open the year.

JW Marriott Hotel, Jl. Lingkar Mega Kuningan, Mega Kuningan, Jakarta, Tel: 57988888.