Do not be surprised if the yusheng you eat this Chinese New Year is missing the quintessential raw fish.
Yusheng refers to raw fish salad in Mandarin.
Instead, the typical platter of shredded vegetables is being topped with everything from wagyu sashimi and oysters to truffle and tropical fruit as restaurants and hotels come up with creative alternatives.
The yu-less yusheng trend is in reaction to the National Environment Agency ban, announced on Dec 5 last year, on the sale of raw freshwater fish at all food establishments because of the risk of harmful parasites or bacteria.
Last year, there were about 360 cases of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infections and two fatalities. About 150 of the cases were linked to the consumption of raw freshwater fish and involve an aggressive strain of bacteria known as Type III GBS Sequence Type 283 (ST283).
While the traditional yusheng dish does not use freshwater fish, hotels and restaurants want to play it safe by offering cooked or non-raw fish versions of this dish.
But with or without the fish, the lo hei tradition - where seasoning and ingredients are poured over the dish as diners spout auspicious sayings while tossing the salad - will still go on.
Goodwood Park Hotel has come up with five non-raw fish alternatives for the festive season. It has taken its popular hamachi (Japanese amberjack) yusheng off the menu.
New options include crispy silver bait fish with mock tuna, where the tuna is replaced with compressed watermelon slices, and crispy eel lo hei.
Chinese restaurant Xi Yan, which has outlets at Craig Road and Shaw Centre, is also not serving any raw fish. Its yusheng offerings feature abalone, smoked salmon or fruit instead.
Other popular seafood alternatives include lobster and scallop.
For those who still want raw fish, salmon yusheng is on the menu at Szechuan Court at Fairmont Singapore, Hua Ting at Orchard Hotel and Window on the Park at Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre.
At Li Bai at Sheraton Towers, you have a choice of cooked salmon, blanched lobster, abalone, fried scallop and crispy fish skin.
For food safety reasons, some restaurants do not offer yusheng for takeaway. Nikunohi, one of the brands in multi-concept Japanese restaurant Eat At Seven in Suntec City, along with its sister outlets Maguro Donya and Enbu, offer the yusheng only for dine-in.
If you want to steer clear of fish, head to meat-centric restaurants instead. Carne & Caipirinha Brazilian Churrascaria at Sunset Way is featuring roast beef, while Nikunohi is offering beef sashimi.
Diners such as marketing manager Henry Lam, 32, find the meat versions of yusheng intriguing.
He says: "It's certainly a very unusual take on the dish and, in the light of the GBS scare, I would definitely try it."
Other people such as housewife Jacintha Low, 46, prefer to stick to the original version consisting of raw fish.
She says: "My family will stick to fish yusheng. Having meat in the yusheng feels rather odd and is a bit too modern for the older generation."
Where: Summer Pavilion, The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, 7 Raffles Avenue
When: Jan 25 to Feb 22, 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6.30 to 10.30pm; Feb 7, 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6 to 7.45pm, 8.30 to 10.15pm; Feb 8, 9, 13, 14, 20 and 21, 11.30am to 1pm, 1.30 to 2.45pm, 6.30 to 10.30pm
Info: Call 6434-5286 or e-mail rc.sinrz.summerpavilion@ ritzcarlton.com
What: Gattopardo's chef-owner Lino Sauro is jumping on the yusheng bandwagon with his version that includes Normandy oyster, Sicilian gambero rosso (red prawns), Hokkaido scallop and chopped black truffle, chopped pistachio, breadcrumbs, and salmon roe.
It is garnished with herbs and edible flowers, and drizzled with garlic mayonnaise and a sauce made with sesame vinaigrette and Sicilian anchovy essence. It is priced at $88 (for four), $148 (for six) and $188 (for eight).
Where: Gattopardo Ristorante di Mare, 34/36 Tras Street
When: Jan 29 to Feb 23, noon to 2.30pm, 5pm to midnight (Monday to Saturday and public holiday, closed on Sunday)
Info: Call 6338-5498 or e-mail reservations@gattopardo.com.sg
What: East meets West at Park Hotel Alexandra's restaurant The Carvery.
It features ingredients such as sliced trout gravlax, fried fish skin, beetroot crisps, candied ginger and crisp tortilla "pok chui" crackers - all tossed in a sweet and sour honey lemon dressing.
It is priced at $38.80 (four to six people).
Where: The Carvery, Park Hotel Alexandra, 323 Alexandra Road, Level 7
When: Jan 25 to Feb 22, noon to 3pm, 6 to 10pm daily
Info: Call 6828-8880
It is accompanied by plum sauce infused with lemongrass and yuzu marmalade jam.
The yusheng is part of the hotel's Golden Fortune Set Menu which is priced at $1,388++. Available for dine-in only.
Where: Movenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa, 23 Beach View Sentosa
When: Jan 25 to Feb 21, 6 to 10.30pm
Info: Call 6818-3305 or e-mail hotel.sentosa.fb@movenpick.com
What: In a nod to the Year of the Monkey, One Farrer Confectionary's yusheng features crispy banana chips.
It is mixed with smoked salmon, green and white daikon, dragonfruit, kaffir lime leaves and calamansi, crispy vermicelli, and a blend of berries jam with plum sauce and kumquat paste.
It is priced at $68 or $88.
Where: One Farrer Hotel & Spa, 1 Farrer Park Station Road
When: Until Feb 19, order three days in advance. For takeaway only.
Info: Call 6705-7825 or e-mail originsoffood@onefarrer.com
Other ingredients include crispy bacon strips, deep-fried yam and potato slivers. The dressing is made with plum sauce, mixed fruits and white truffle oil. It is priced at $78 or $128, available for dine-in only.
Where: Min Jiang at One-North, 5 Rochester Park
When: Jan 21 to Feb 22, order three days in advance by Feb 19, noon
Info: Call 6774-0122 or e-mail mj1n@goodwoodparkhotel.com
What: Japanese restaurant Nikunohi, which specialises in wagyu and yakiniku, features a Prosperity Wagyu Lo Hei this Chinese New Year. Raw A4 grade wagyu is used in the yusheng, placed on top of the salad base. It is priced at $38 (small, for two to three) or $68 (large, for four to six people). Available for dine-in only.
Where: Nikunohi, Eat at Seven, Suntec City North Wing, 3 Temasek Boulevard, 03-316
When: Until Feb 22, closes on Feb 7 at 3pm. Open from 11.30am to 3pm, 5 to 10.30pm (weekday), 11am to 10.30pm (weekend).
Info: Call 6837-0263 or go to www.facebook.com/NikunohiSG
Other ingredients include farofa (cooked cassava flour with garlic and bacon), parmesan cheese, carrot, radish, pickled ginger and onions. The salad is tossed in chimichurri sauce and olive oil.
Prices start from $12++ (two to four people).
Where: Carne & Caipirinha Brazilian Churrascaria, Sunset Way, 01-50 Block 106 Clementi Street 12
When: Feb 7 to 22, 5.30 to 11pm (Monday to Saturday), 5 to 11pm (Sunday and public holiday)
Info: www.carne-caipirinha.sg
What: Window on the Park at Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre presents its Fortune Smoked Duck Yu Sheng with duck flavoured with lemongrass and pandan leaves and smoked on a layer of jasmine tea leaves. It costs $68++ for 10 people.
Where: Window on the Park, Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre, Level 2
When: Tomorrow to Feb 29, noon to 9pm daily. Takeaway only. Order three working days in advance, self-collection required
Info: Call 6733-8333 or e-mail fnb.hisinorchard@ihg.com
What: Tang Restaurant, which specialises in Sichuan hotpot, features a Sichuan-style yusheng. Ingredients include Sichuan shredded sausage, Sichuan shredded fish and fried fish paste dumplings - all of which are eaten during Chinese New Year in the Chinese province. It is priced at $38 and $68 (for abalone).
Where: Tang Restaurant, 25 Keong Saik Road
When: From Feb 1 to 22, 11am to midnight, Tuesday to Sunday, closed on Monday
Info: Call 6222-7708
It is priced at $98 (four to six people) and $148 (eight to 10 people). A white truffle version is also available. Order two days in advance.
Where: Si Chuan Dou Hua at Parkroyal on Kitchener Road, 181 Kitchener Road
When: Until Feb 22, 11.30am to 2.30pm (lunch), 2.30 to 6pm (Reunion Imperial High Tea), 6.30 to 10.30pm (dinner)
Info: Call 6428-3170 or go to www.sichuandouhua.com/shop
Where: Xi Yan Private Dining, 38A Craig Road, and Xi Yan Shaw, Shaw Centre, 1 Scotts Road, 03-12/13
When: Jan 25 to Feb 6 (last day of order). Xi Yan private dining will be closed on Feb 8, while Xi Yan Shaw will close on Feb 8 and 9.
Info: www.xiyan.com.sg
For more Chinese New Year stories, go to str.sg/ZHe7
Also, check out some new- fangled yusheng. Go to str.sg/ZV4j
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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on January 17, 2016, with the headline No raw fish? No problem. Subscribe