YU SHENG made easy.
Casey Wong, the Bak Kwa (long yoke) guy came to us with another ingenious idea. Why not take the preparation pain out of the traditional Yu Sheng (“Yee Shang”) dish? Yes, you can buy the dried ones from Springvale shopping centre for $20+ dollars. But they are the dried ingredients only. You still have to go buy that perfect carrot, cucumber, ginger, jellyfish, peanuts, pickles, wanton wrappers etc. Then you have to peel and julienne them super-finely, fry the wanton skins, grind the nuts, all to be able to toss that “prosperity” salad. And the plum sauce, sesame oil and lemon dressing. I get tired just thinking about it. And just the right amount of salt and pepper. Oh and the cleaning of the preparation table from all the flying fragments, and then there is the question: What do you do with half a leftover radish or carrot or wanton wrappers?
Man, that’s a lot of time and work that could be spent more productively sleeping. Not to mention the risk of running around the crowded Covid infested markets looking for stuff, and a guarantee that if you are the kitchen hand, you are going to be scolded for not getting it just right. These days, you gotta look at the risks as well. Doing it yourself could be penny wise and pound foolish.
So it was with glee when Casey sent me a demo sample of his future, FRESH Yu Sheng kit. It had everything you need in it, and a couple more that I didn’t even realise.
Unboxing the Yu Sheng tray
The presentation of the precut salad kit is pretty straight forward. It comes in a simple black based plastic base and see through top, reminescent of a jelly mould.
Contents
Frankly, I have no clue as to what normally goes into a Yu Sheng salad, but I am told by my betters, its all there. See for yourself.
I did note that Casey’s kitchen put the peanuts and crispy wonton wrappers and sesame seeds in separate bags. It certainly helps to keep them dry and crispy, but I suspect also to protect people with gluten or peanut allergies.
One unexpected item was sugared melons in the small plastic container at about 12 O’ clock in the picture. I of course had to test them to make sure that they were still good. They were.
Tossing the Salad
The carefully packed contents seem to magically expand once you add the crispy bits, peanuts and fish. I chose smoked Salmon (because I had some in the fridge) but of course, you can use any sashimi grade fish that you like (Photo taken before I remembered the Salmon sitting on the table).
Man, thats a lot of salad. Suddenly it looked like we were going to have a lot of left overs.
Final Testing
Problem of too much salad solved.
I had 2 extra helpings and my wife decided that she would forego our planned dinner and just have the Yu Sheng salad for dinner (my wife who has to be forced to eat her veggies). So now I have leftovers of my original dinner. Such is life.
Conclusion:
About 6 good sized serves, or 8 “normal” sized serves. Worth recommending to our members.
Want to be a hero to your family chef ? For just $45, give the gift of a less-messy kitchen and a few hours of extra sleep.
Delivery:
If you want to give it a try (and I recommend that you do), there are 2 pickup dates.
– This Saturday, 29th January at 10:30 – 11:00am SOLD OUT
– Next Saturday, 6th February at 10:30 – 11:00am (cut off date is 4 Feb)
If you would like to order, please send an email to me at nicklee88@outlook.com with the number of trays of Yu Sheng you would like to order, your mobile number and the pick up date.
Once your booking has been received, we will send you an email with payment details. Your order will be on hold for 2 days until payments are fully received. When payments are received in full, your order will be confirmed by return email. Please note that there is no cancellation or refund once orders have been placed.
Nicholas Lee
Honorary Secretary
CAV EXCO