It isn’t exactly Chinese New Year until you’ve partaken in one too many lo heis, which translate from Cantonese to “tossing up fortune”. After all, yu sheng is a quintessential dish when it comes to celebrating the conviviality of reunions and the New Year, with no better way to get all of your well-wishes out (and receive plenty in return) as ingredients are added while reciting their corresponding phrases.
That said, yu sheng has changed with the times. Certain ingredients, like plum sauce, crackers or sesame oil are mainstays to the festive platter – not the least for their auspicious meanings. Other ingredients, like salmon sashimi that have replaced the now less-popular wolf herring, are modern twists that prove age-old recipes never, ever have to be boring. In recent years, some unusual standouts include different proteins – think uni, pufferfish or parma ham – or forgoing meat altogether.
Here’s our pick of the best yu sheng to toss for a bountiful, abundant New Year.
