Healthier spins on pineapple tarts and yu sheng for CNY 2021
CNY goodies, recipes and simple food swaps that still pack in good luck and prosperity
Text: Joel T
The Chinese New Year celebrations may feel a little different in Singapore this year, but one thing will remain the same — our love of CNY’s goodies, snacks, and feasting. As fans of all things foodie (at any time of the year, let’s be honest), we at The Soothe have compiled a list of tips, recommendations and healthy recipes for healthier ways to enjoy crowd favourites, pineapple tarts and yu sheng.
Yu Sheng
Tossing of yu sheng (also known as lo hei) is a tradition that most participate in for Chinese New Year. It symbolises the tossing of good fortune and (in ‘normal times’ when living in a pandemic-free world) the announcements of auspicious blessings. This vibrant CNY dish may be a staple, but it does pack quite a few calories due to all the various base, sauces and toppings. Not taking away the essence of yu sheng, healthy recipes can lower the calories and make it a more nutritious and healthy dish.
The Base
Pickled vegetables are used in most yu sheng but you can replace these high preservatives and sugar vegetables with citrus fruits such as pomelo, yuzu, or oranges. These citrus fruits are an excellent source of vitamin C and contain flavonoids, carotenoids and essential oils that are responsible for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Additionally, using such zingy and naturally sweet fruits helps to reduce the dressing required to sweeten the dish.
The Sauce
The high sugar plum sauce can be easily replaced with natural alternatives such as homemade fruit-based sauce using juices from passion fruit, mango, and orange. To sweeten it naturally, add a dose of raw honey to the fruit mixture; it helps to give the mix some texture too. The usual oil or sesame oil for yu sheng can be swapped for healthier alternatives such as extra virgin olive oil, grapeseed oil, or even coconut oil.
The Toppings
Hands up those who make a beeline for the deep fried ‘golden pillow’ crackers? We hear you. However, swapping these crackers with multi-grain crackers substantially brings down the calorie count of yu sheng, while contributing to your daily fibre intake with a satisfying crunch.
Crushed peanuts can be swapped for crushed almonds as they contain much higher heart-healthy fat (monounsaturated fat) content than peanuts. If you’d like to add more healthy fibrous seeds in addition to the usual sesame seeds, you can throw in extra chia seeds and pumpkin seeds.
Pineapple Tart
Pineapple tarts have our CNY hearts. However, they are notorious for their calorie count. A pineapple tart has an average of 100 calories; it’s quite easy to have five to six in one sitting and those calories easily amount to a plate of mee goreng or chicken rice.
The Tart Base
These tart bases are a naughty combination of sugar, butter, and flour. Healthy recipes for pineapple tarts mean swapping these components out. It sounds tricky, but regular plain flour with low glycaemic index almond flour makes an excellent substitute. Almond flour is high in vitamin E as well as being gluten-free, making it a winner for those who are gluten-intolerant.
Regular diary butter can be replaced with plant-based butters which are usually lower in unhealthy fat (saturated fat) and higher in healthy monounsaturated fat. Raw sugar can be swapped with coconut sugar; coconut sugar has been found to have lower glycaemic index as they contain a fibre called inulin, which may slow glucose absorption.
The Pineapple Jam
The main culprit in making the pineapple jam unhealthy is the amount of sugar used in both manufactured and homemade pineapple tarts. To make it healthier, try reducing the sugar content or have it replaced with raw honey. If you’re using canned pineapples, check the labels to ensure that you’re picking one that is canned with 100% natural pineapple juice as opposed to sugar syrup.
