Chinese Yee Sang (Prosperity Salad)

 

Ingredients

Salad

• 1/2 pkt of wonton skin wrapper
• 1 sweet potato, orange, small
• 1 sweet potato, purple, small
• 3 cups vegetable oil for frying
• ⅓ red pomelo(optional or you can sub with grapefruit)
• 2 carrot, medium
• 1 white radish ( daikon) medium
• 1 large English cucumber
• 1/2 iceberg lettuce(julienne)
• 1 bunch coriander
• 375 g jellyfish, instant natural(optional) 
• ⅓ cup ginger, pickled (use for sushi, julienne) 
• 1 cup peanut brittle and 1 cup sesame brittle(or any amount you like. I like to put a lot). Use a food processor to crushed them). Get the peanut and sesame brittle from Asian grocery store by the snack section. It has the caramel and taste better. 
• 500 g tuna sashimi grade ( any amount you like) 
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Salad Dressing

• 400 g plum sauce
• ½ tsp Chinese five spice powder
• ½ tsp pepper, white
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1½ lime juiced

Instructions

Wonton Wrappers and Sweet Potato

• Using a pair of kitchen shears, cut the wonton wrappers into strips(about 4 strips per square). 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 mandoline slice the sweet potatoes and julienne the sweet potatoes into thin strips. 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. (You can make this a day ahead and store in a Tupperware after it’s completely cooled) 
  
• 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. (You can make this a day ahead and store in a Tupperware after it’s completely cooled) 
  
• Scoop out burnt remnants from oil. 
  
• Repeat process for the purple sweet potato.

Pomelo/grapefruit 

• Peel pomelo, remove all the pith of the pomelo or grapefruit 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

• Repeat using the mandolin and julienne the carrots. 
  
• Repeat using the mandolin and julienne the radish or daikon. 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 use the mandolins to julienne the cucumber the same way as the white radish. If using a julienne peeler, try avoiding the seeds as that part contains a lot of water.
• Julienne the iceberg lettuce and set aside. 
  
• Wash the coriander leaves well and roughly tear or chop off leaves. 
  
• Squeeze out liquid from packaged ginger and julienne. 
  
• For the peanut brittle and sesame brittle, use a food processor and crushed them to small grain. 
• Slice the fresh tuna 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 lime juice. Mix until combined. Taste and adjust plum or lime accordingly. 
  
• 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 tuna. 
  
• Each in two separate piles, assemble the ingredients to include white radish, cucumber, lettuce, carrot, coriander, orange sweet potato, purple sweet potato, red pomelo or grapefruit, pickled ginger and crushed peanuts and sesame brittle. 
  
• Place the tuna in the centre, divide the fried wonton skin into four piles and placed around the edge (or on top if you don't have room). 
  
• 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.

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.

This recipe was modified to suit my personal taste from Thedevilwearssalad.com. Which I found closely resembles the Yee Sang I often make every year. Thank you!