Celebrate Lunar New Year With Luke Nguyen’s Recipe for Salmon Lucky Lo Hei

As you’re likely aware by now, Lunar New Year is around the corner. What that means is there are loads of exciting celebrations coming, and loads of good food to be enjoyed. You may be heading out for a feed, which is always a good time, but if you’re hoping to cook something tasty at home, Luke Nguyen, executive chef of Fat Noodle at The Star Sydney, has shared a recipe for Salmon lucky lo hei.

Per the team at Fat Noodle, lo hei or “prosperity toss”, is a traditional dish often served in Chinese communities across Southeast Asia for Lunar New Year.

They explained that “Ingredients are cut finely or shredded, then dished up in segments on a large plate in the middle of the the table, with loved ones coming together around the table to toss the ingredients in the air with chopsticks while chanting good fortunes does the year ahead”.

“It is believed the height of the toss reflects the height of the diners’ growth in fortunes, thus diners are expected to toss enthusiastically.”

If you’d like to try to make your own salmon lo hei at home, we’ve shared Luke Nguyen’s recipe for you below.

Salmon lucky lo hei with signature beetroot dressing recipe

Serves 4

What you’ll need for the salmon lo hei:

• 4 sashimi-grade fresh salmon fillets, deboned and with skin removed
• 1 fresh mango, sliced into thin slices
• 200g pomelo, peeled with fruit broken into small pieces
• 200g radish, shredded
• 200g carrot, shredded
• 15g coriander, finely chopped
• 100g deep-fried wonton cracker, broken into slices
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced
• 3 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
• 40g roasted peanuts, crushed
• Sesame seeds, to serve
• Five spice powder, to serve

Beetroot Dressing

• 500g beetroot
• 30g fresh ginger, grated finely
• 500ml plum sauce (found in good Asian supermarkets)
• 1sp salt
• 100g caster sugar

Directions for the salmon lo hei:

1. To prepare the beetroot dressing, peel your beetroot and chop finely. Add the beetroot pieces to a blender and blend until it forms a thin juice with no chunks.
2. Add the beetroot juice and grated ginger to a small pot over low heat and stir until fragrant. Add the sugar and continue to stir until the mixture caramelises, thickening slightly. Stir in the plum sauce and season to taste.
3. Remove your beetroot sauce from heat and set aside until ready to serve.
4. To prepare the dish, thinly slice your salmon and wrap the slices around each other in concentric circles to make a flower shape (as pictured).
5. Do the same with the mango slices.
6. Place the salmon and mango flowers in the centre of a large serving dish and place the other shredded ingredients in individual piles around the edges.
7. Sprinkle the ingredients with sesame seeds and five spice powder just before serving.
8. Serve with beetroot dressing and lime wedges on the side, to be enjoyed once the ingredients have been tossed by everyone.