There’s a host of unique yu sheng to choose from in Singapore for those hoping to ring in the Year of the Rat with a lot of crunch and zest.
Also known as the prosperity toss, the latest selection of the essential colorful tradition, believed to help bring a bountiful new year, comes in many versions, including one inspired by Hawaiian poke bowls.
Chinese New Year 2020: Best goodies to usher in the year of the rat
There are also photogenic options that can double up as great conversation starters before they get tossed into big piles of yummy mess.
Here’s a list of yu shengs that are unique yet don’t stray too far away from the original combination of shredded vegetables, peanuts, wanton crisps, salmon, and more.
Alaskan Crab Lo Hei at Wah Lok, Carlton Hotel
Here’s one to (hopefully) bring in an abundance of good luck and prosperity in the coming new year. The Alaskan Crab Lo Hei at Cantonese restaurant Wah Lok at Carlton Hotel is available if you book a table for eight people.
This set is priced from S$1,338 and also comes with braised shark’s fin, pan-fried Hokkaido scallop, steamed soon hock fish also known as marble goby, roasted duck and abalone, among others.
Hawaiian poke-style yu sheng at Crowne Plaza’s Azur
The Azur restaurant in Changi Airport’s Crowne Plaza is hosting a Chinese New Year buffet from Jan. 6 to Feb. 8, featuring a salmon yu sheng station where you can create one from scratch, Hawaiian poke-style.
Ingredients include teriyaki chicken, salmon sashimi, roasted beef and a great selection of fresh seasonal greens.
Photo-worthy options from Goodwood Park, Park Hotel Clarke Quay
Goodwood Park’s and Park Hotel Clarke Quay’s yu sheng may be too pretty to toss.
The former’s Joyful Abundance Yu Sheng (Dine-in: S$168 | Takeaway: S$179.75) is jazzed up with an illustration of two children playing, complimenting the yusheng that’s neatly arranged into a flower and made of baby abalones, crisp vegetables, homemade dressing and cheesy deep-fried chee cheong fan strips fashioned like slices of cheese — perfect for the year of the rat!
The latter’s mountain-shaped Auspicious Abundance Yu Sheng consists of layers of purple cabbage, carrots, alfalfa, white and green radish, and surrounded by plump golden-seared scallops topped with red caviar. It is then sprinkled with crispy loh shu fun or silver needle noodles, pomelo, lime and home-made plum sauce. The yu sheng is available for dine-in only and is served as part of a multiple course meal priced from S$388 for four to five diners.
Mala Xiang Guo-inspired yu sheng at Hotel Fort Canning’s The Salon
Mala lovers will be happy to note that there’s a yu sheng that fits your taste buds. Hotel Fort Canning’s The Salon has introduced the “Ma-Luck” Fa Cai Yu Sheng (from S$98) that consists of your usual ingredients as well as hot peppers.
Add bak kwa or puffer fish to your yu sheng at Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant
If you love puffer fish or barbecued pork jerky, or bak kwa, Si Chuan Dou Hoa is serving yu sheng packed with healthy leafy greens and sprinkled with either bak kwa or rat-shaped puffer fish sashimi. The Prosperity Silver Bait & Homemade Bak Kwa with Fresh Greens Yusheng (S$98) comes in a small size. Top it up to a large-sized yu sheng for S$198 and you’ll get a sizable portion of puffer fish.
Rosy yu sheng at Raffles Hotel
Raffles Hotel’s yu sheng is one to get if you’re hoping for a rosy new year. It comes with a choice of smoked salmon or live lobster and is topped with a special dressing infused with rose essence from Yunnan, China, giving the yu sheng a sweet and pleasant or less fishy smell.
You can order the Fortune Yu Sheng with Smoked Salmon and Yunnan Rose Specialty Dressing (from S$168) or the Prosperity Yu Sheng with Asian Live Lobster and Yunnan Rose Specialty Dressing (from S$198) for dine-in or takeaways.
Shunde-style yu sheng at Yan
The Yan restaurant at National Gallery Singapore is serving yu sheng inspired by those from Shunde, China. Called the Kaleidoscope of Prosperity, it contains crispy vermicelli sprinkled with shreds of purple and yellow sweet potatoes, kailan, and pickled ginger and surrounded with crushed peanuts, sesame seeds, youtiao, as well as slices of fresh yellowtail, and crunchy mee pok noodles.
Available when you order set menus, which are priced from S$98 per person
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