In traditional Chinese New Year custom, besides the Cantonese lo hei yee sang 撈起魚生, there is the lesser known Teochew 7 Vegetables 潮州七样菜 dish which is growing in popularity.
Whereas lo hei yee sang is eaten anytime from Chinese New Year Eve to the 15th day of CNY, the Teochew 7 Vegetables dish is eaten only on the 7th day which is 人日 or Renri / Humans Day (the day human beings were created according to Chinese legend). Renri is celebrated as the birthday of everyone.
The 7 vegetables dish custom is still practiced in many Teochew homes and some traditional Teochew restaurants such as Ah Orh Seafood in Bukit Merah (Singapore) serve it on Renri.
There are many variations of what constitute the 7 vegetables in the dish, depending on their availability. The most often used vegetables are Chinese leek 蒜, Chinese celery 芹, Chinese coriander 园香菜, Napa cabbage 大白菜, Spring onion (scallion) 葱, Chinese chives 韭菜, and Chinese mustard 春菜, etc. Each vegetable is chosen for their specific auspicious significance.
At Ah Orh, the 7 vegetables in the dish follow the recipe passed down by the lady boss 陈秀娇's mother.
The name for Chinese leek 蒜 sounds like 算 which means count. Chinese leek signifies being blessed with the good fortune of counting wealth and blessings.
The Chinese for spring onion 葱 sounds like 聪 which means intellect. So eating spring onion signifies being blessed with intelligence and wit.
Chun cai 春菜 signifies Spring, renewal, energy and progress.
Chard 厚合菜 signifies unity.
Spinach 菠菜 also known as 飛龍菜 signifies the grandeur of a soaring dragon. Oh yes, 2014 is the year of the Dragon 🐉
芥蓝 Kai lan or Chinese broccoli signifies harmony.
Chinese mustard 大菜 sounds like 大财 which means great fortune and prosperity.
Other vegetables commonly used in Teochew 7 vegetable dish (not used in Ah Orh's version) include 芹菜 celery which signifies diligence, 大白菜 white nappa cabbage for integrity, 韭菜 Chinese chives for longevity, 园香菜 coriander for blessed destiny, etc.
The hardest part of preparing the 7 vegetables dish is to assemble all the 7 customary vegetables together - as some of the vegetables are seasonal, they are available for only a few days a year and are in great demand. Ah Orh restaurant boss had to personally go to a few wet markets in Singapore to assemble all the required vegetables.
Ah Orh Seafood restaurant's lady boss 陈秀娇 graciously demonstrated how the dish is cooked at her restaurant, which is passed down by her mum.
First stir fry roast pork belly (sio bak), stewed mushroom and chopped garlic with oil in a wok till the flavours and aroma are released.
Stir fry the vegetables in the wok.
Add a little hot water, cover and let the vegetables simmer till cooked.
The traditional Teochew Seven Vegetable dish, well... tasted like mixed vegetables lo... with the sio bak adding a bit of savoury flavour to the different vegetable sweetness and green tartness.
But, that's not really the point of the dish. It is an auspicious dish to celebrate Chinese New Year with well wishes and goodwill for all at the table. According to custom, the whole dish must be finished at the table to avoid leftovers which could lead to leaving out blessings 😌
Teochew Seven Vegetables is a meaningful tradition worth preserving and including in our family's Chinese New Year celebrations. It is easy to cook it at home.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
Renri 人日 is the 7th day of the first month of the lunar new year. According to legend, Goddess Nuwa 女媧 created:
Chicken on day 1
Dogs on day 2
Pigs on day 3
Goats on day 4
Cows on day 5
Horses on day 6
Humans on day 7.
This was recorded in 占書 (Book of Divination) by Dongfang Shuo of the Western Han dynasty (206 BC to 9 AD). It was also recorded in 答問禮俗說 by 董勛 (Questions & Answers on Rites & Customs by Dong Xun) of the Jin dynasty (266 AD to 420 AD).
人日 is celebrated as the birthday of mankind. Teochew Chinese celebrate the day with the 7 vegetables dish 潮州七样菜. (Source: Wikipedia)
Ah Orh Seafood is one of Singapore's best Teochew restaurants. They have many excellent traditional dishes on the menu 😋
Restaurant name: Ah Orh Seafood
Address: 115 Jalan Bukit Merah, Singapore 160115
GPS: 1°16'52.4"N 103°49'34.5"E 🌐 1.281213, 103.826246
Waze: Ah Orh Seafood Restaurant
Tel: 6275 7575
Hours: 11:00am - 2:00pm | 5:30pm - 10:00pm
Non Halal
Date visited: 13 Feb 2019 | Reviewed 23 Jan 2023
Teochew Seven Vegetables is a meaningful tradition worth preserving and including in our family's Chinese New Year celebrations. It is easy to cook it at home.
Photo credit: Wikipedia
Renri 人日 is the 7th day of the first month of the lunar new year. According to legend, Goddess Nuwa 女媧 created:
Chicken on day 1
Dogs on day 2
Pigs on day 3
Goats on day 4
Cows on day 5
Horses on day 6
Humans on day 7.
This was recorded in 占書 (Book of Divination) by Dongfang Shuo of the Western Han dynasty (206 BC to 9 AD). It was also recorded in 答問禮俗說 by 董勛 (Questions & Answers on Rites & Customs by Dong Xun) of the Jin dynasty (266 AD to 420 AD).
人日 is celebrated as the birthday of mankind. Teochew Chinese celebrate the day with the 7 vegetables dish 潮州七样菜. (Source: Wikipedia)
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Ah Orh Seafood is one of Singapore's best Teochew restaurants. They have many excellent traditional dishes on the menu 😋
Restaurant name: Ah Orh Seafood
Address: 115 Jalan Bukit Merah, Singapore 160115
GPS: 1°16'52.4"N 103°49'34.5"E 🌐 1.281213, 103.826246
Waze: Ah Orh Seafood Restaurant
Tel: 6275 7575
Hours: 11:00am - 2:00pm | 5:30pm - 10:00pm
Non Halal
Date visited: 13 Feb 2019 | Reviewed 23 Jan 2023
Chinese New Year food traditions 👈 click
I think the spring onion is not correct as in teochew it is pronounced as cang which is 惨 - as in miserable, wretched, tragic which no one would welcome.
ReplyDeleteThanks Chaozhouzi. I've checked various versions of 7 vegetables and spring onion is commonly used even back in Chaosan.
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