Bring in the Chinese New Year with a prosperous and festive yee sang salad that is made with immense love and effort. A significant tradition, we take you step by step through the recipe and show you that it is much easier than you think!
Using a pair of kitchen shears, cut the square wonton wrappers into 6 rectangles. Cut a few sheets at a time. Separate each layer and place on a plate ready to be fried.
Peel both the orange and purple sweet potatoes. Then using a 3mm julienne slicer, slice the sweet potatoes. Set aside separately, ready for frying.
In a small pot or a wok, heat vegetable oil to medium, drop the cut wonton skin wrappers a few at a time, and deep fry them. Once golden brown, remove them quickly with a slotted spoon. Set aside for assembly.
Place the shredded orange sweet potato into a saucepan of medium hot oil and deep fry in 2-3 small batches. Separate sweet potato while frying, so they do not stick together.
After about 4 minutes, take the sweet potato out and place on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Set aside for assembly.
Scoop out burnt remnants from oil.
Repeat process for the purple sweet potato.
Pomelo
Peel pomelo, remove all the pith of the pomelo and extract the segments. Break the segments down further by separating the pink pulp. Be gentle and try not to break the juice sacs.
Set aside for assembly.
Rest of the Salad
Peel and grate carrot with a 1.6 mm julienne slicer or julienne peeler.
Peel and grate white radish with a 1.6 mm julienne slicer or julienne peeler. Squeeze the sliced radish with your hands to take out the excess water. Then let it sit in more paper towels until you are ready to assemble the salad.
Peel and grate cucumber in the same way as the white radish. If using a julienne peeler, try avoiding the seeds as that part contains a lot of water.
Wash the coriander leaves well and roughly tear or chop off leaves.
Prepare jellyfish. Drain the liquid, mix in the packet seasonings and leave aside for assembly.
Squeeze out liquid from packaged ginger and let it dry on paper towels.
On a small pan, toast the crushed peanuts for about 2 minutes until there is a nutty aroma. Set aside.
If your sesame seeds are not pre-toasted, toast the sesame seeds for about 2 minutes until there is a nutty aroma. Set aside.
Slice the salmon into very thin slices, about 5 mm. Set aside in the fridge until assembly.
Salad Dressing
In a small microwave-safe bowl, add the plum sauce, Chinese 5 spice powder, white pepper, sesame oil, hoisin sauce and lemon juice. Mix until combined.
Microwave on high for 1 minute.
Allow to cool.
Assembly
For this salad, you need a large shallow platter.
Start from the outer edge of the platter, work your way around the rim and then start moving towards the centre. Leave a place in the centre of the platter for the salmon.
Each in two separate piles, assemble the ingredients to include white radish, cucumber, jellyfish, carrot, coriander, orange sweet potato, purple sweet potato, red pomelo and pickled ginger.
Place the salmon in the centre, divide the fried wonton skin "golden pillows" into four piles and placed around the edge (or on top if you don't have room), and finally scatter the roasted peanuts and sesame on top.
Place a ⅓ of the dressing into a bowl for guests who may like more sauce, leaving the remaining ⅔ for the prosperity toss. Just as you're about to do the toss, pour the dressing all over the salad.
Video
Notes
This recipe makes 16 serves. If you would like to prepare this yee sang for less than 16 people, then not only can you proportion the ingredients accordingly, but there are some elements that you could leave out. For example, the cucumber and the purple sweet potato.
If you would like to transport this dish, pack the fried wonton skin wrappers, fried sweet potato, peanuts, sesame seeds, and salmon separately. Add these ingredients to platter just prior to consumption, then pour over dressing.
You can make a vegetarian version by replacing the salmon with soy fish and omit the jellyfish.
Add more lemon to the dressing if you like it more tangy.
Replace coriander (cilantro) with spring onions if you prefer. You could also add it as an additional ingredient for additional flavour!
Leave out the peanuts if there are people you don’t really know, in case there is an allergy.