How To Lo Hei – 12 Steps To An Auspicious Chinese New Year Yu Sheng

Visiting Singapore during the Lunar New Year period? Join the local Chinese as they bask in festivities over the 15 days of Chinese New Year. Although the tossing of Yu Sheng or Lo Hei is traditionally done on the 7th day, many Chinese restaurants offer this joyous dish throughout the entire 15 days. The dish comprises white and green radish, carrots, capsicum, turnips, red pickled ginger, slices of raw fish (commonly salmon), crackers, topped with the fragrant dressing of plum sauce, five-spice powder, sesame oil and is usually served as an appetiser. Here’s how to Lo Hei and the 12 steps to an auspicious Chinese New Year Yu Sheng.

How To Lo Hei – Why Is Lo Hei So Popular? 

To conduct a customary Lo Hei, one has to gather your families and friends to toss the ingredients while saying auspicious well-wishes out loud for good luck in the new year. In Cantonese it is known as “lo sheng” with “lo” 捞 also meaning “tossing up good fortune”. The tossing action is called “Lo Hei”, which means to “rise” (起 “hei”), again a reference to a thriving business and thus its popularity with businessmen during the New Year. It is believed the higher you toss the ingredients in the salad, the greater your fortunes will be.

How To Lo Hei – Get On A Good Start

Before you get started on the Yusheng, you should offer sincere well-wishes such as 恭喜发财 “Gong Xi Fa Cai” meaning “Congratulations for your wealth” or 万事如意 “Wan shi ru yi” meaning “May all your wishes be fulfilled” to everyone at the table.

How To Lo Hei – The Legendary 12 Steps & Auspicious Phases

Next, let’s embark on the 12 steps Lo Hei before we toss the good luck!

1. In goes the raw fish (生鱼, Sheng Yu)

年年有馀 “Nian Nian You Yu” symbolising abundance ‘excess’ through the new year

2. Put in the pomelo (柚子, You Zi)

大吉大利 “Da Ji Da Li” which means good fortunes and luck.

3. Sprinkle pepper & cinnamon powder (胡椒粉, Hu Jiao Fen)

招财进宝 “Zhao Cai Jin Bao” to attract more wealth and treasures. This step is a must for business lo hei.

4. Drizzle the oil  (油, You)

You can either use “财原广进 “Cai Yuan Guang Jin” or 一本万利 “Yi Ben Wan Li” while circling the ingredients with the oil to increase all profits 10,000 times and encouraging money to flow in from all directions. Thrill your bosses with this step!

5. Throw in the carrots (红萝卜, Hong Luo Bo)

鸿运当头 “Hong Yun Dang Tou” which means good luck is right at our doorsteps.

6. Put in the shredded green radish (青萝卜, Qing Luo Bo)

青春常驻 “Qing Chun Chang Zhu” for eternal youth. Good to let the ladies have a go at this one.

7. Now goes the shredded white radish (白萝卜, Bai Luo Bo)

风生水起 “Feng Sheng Shui Qi” and 步步高升 “Bu Bu Gao Sheng” which means prosperity in business and promotion at work. This is for all the minions at work.

8. Dust finely chopped peanuts (花生粉, Hua Sheng Fen)

金银满屋 “Jin yin man wu” symbolises a household filled with gold and silver. As an icon of longevity, peanuts also symbolise eternal youth.

9. Sprinkle sesame seeds over quickly (芝麻, Zhi Ma)

生意兴隆 “Sheng Yi Xing Long” for a flourishing business.

10. Throw in Golden Crackers (薄脆饼干, Bo Cui Bing Gan)

遍地黄金 “Bian Di Huang Jin” for hope of riches that literally fill the whole floor with gold.

11. Inflows the plum sauce (酸梅酱, Suan Mei Jiang)

甜甜蜜蜜 “Tian Tian Mi Mi” for sweet and loving relationships for everyone

12. Toss The Yusheng 

Shout 发啊 “Huat Ah” and toss the salad for an auspicious 7 times for great luck and wealth in the new year.

We hope you find this post useful. Do share with your friends, relatives and colleagues who are with you in Singapore for their first Lo Hei sessions too!