Chau Lup Lup is the answer for poor appetites, Mum-approved

Chau lup lup is one of those old-school Cantonese home dishes that doesn’t look flashy, but once you start eating it, wah… very hard to stop.

The name literally means “stir-fried dices”, referring to how almost everything in the dish is cut into little cubes: tofu, French beans, preserved sweet radish. It’s colourful, deeply savoury, and strangely addictive despite being made from such humble pantry staples.

Growing up, Mum would make this for me when I had poor appetite. There’s no premium ingredients involved yet somehow, the dish tastes incredibly tasty.

What goes into a chau lup lup?

That’s because Chinese home cooking often relies on layering natural flavours and textures cleverly.

In this dish, every ingredient pulls its weight.

The French beans bring crunch and freshness.
The tofu gives body and softness.
Toasted peanuts add aroma and nuttiness.
Sweet preserved radish contributes little bursts of sweetness and umami.

You can buy preserved radish from most wet markets in Malaysia. There are two types of preserved radish – sweet and salty. For this dish, we use the sweet variety because there are already other ingredients that contribute saltiness.

Mum’s secret tip

In Chinese cooking, everything is about balance. Mum has one secret tip that elevates the dish.

To the dish, she adds a bit of minced meat or prawns. Why?

“Need some sweetness,” she explained.

That tiny amount of meat or seafood is transformative, making it taste fuller and rounder without overpowering the vegetables.

If you’re hardworking, you can even remove the skins from the roasted peanuts after toasting. Mum likes doing that because the peanuts taste cleaner and more fragrant.

Chau lup lup goes brilliantly with hot rice or porridge. One spoonful of this and suddenly your appetite comes back.

Love simple stir-fries? Check out my caramelized shabu-shabu beef – it’s super appetizing and easy to make!

Chau Lup Lup

This colourful Cantonese stirfry of tofu, peanuts and preserved radish is a wonderful side dish to go with white rice or porridge

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 4

Equipment

• Frying pan, chopping board, knife, airfryer, silicon mould

Ingredients

  

• 1 block firm tofu diced into cubes
• 7-8 batons of French beans diced small
• 80 g raw peanuts
• 3 cloves garlic roughly minced
• 50 g minced chicken OR chopped prawns
• 1-2 tbsp sweet preserved radish (up to your personal preference) roughly minced
• Light soy sauce to taste
• Cooking oil

Instructions

 

• Drizzle some oil on tofu cubes, then place on a silicon mould and pop into air fryer basket. Airfry the tofu cubes for 3-4 minutes at 180 C or until lightly golden.
• In the silicon mould, toast peanuts for 5-6 minutes at 180 C or until fragrant. (Optional - Remove skins after the peanuts cool down)
• Heat oil in a wok and sauté the garlic until fragrant.
• Add minced chicken or prawns and stir-fry briefly.
• Add preserved radish and French beans. Toss well.
• Finally add peanuts and tofu cubes.
• Season with light soy sauce to taste and stir through until everything is well combined.

Notes

Chau Lup Lup - Quick Q&A

1. Can I use long beans instead of French beans?

Yes! Long beans are actually very commonly used in chau lup lup. Just dice them into small cubes so they cook evenly and match the texture of the other ingredients.

2. What type of tofu works best for this dish?

Firm white tofu is ideal because it holds its shape during stir-frying. Softer tofu tends to break apart too easily once tossed in the wok.

3. Why airfry the tofu instead of frying it in oil?

Mainly because it uses much less oil than deep-frying, while still giving the tofu lightly browned edges and a firmer texture that holds up nicely during stir-frying. It’s cleaner, less messy, and much easier for everyday home cooking.

4. Can I make chau lup lup vegetarian?

Of course. Simply omit the minced meat or prawns. The dish will still be tasty thanks to the preserved radish, peanuts and soy sauce.

Keyword tofu, vegetable

Alexandra Wong

Alexandra Wong is a Malaysian food writer, recipe developer and the author behind Cook With Ipohbunny. She shares practical family recipes, restaurant recreations and home-cooking tips inspired by Malaysian Chinese cuisine.