Stir-fried Small Pieces (Char Liap Liap/Tau Kok Lup)

This dish may have a cutesy name but it is a delicious dish to eat with either hot steamed rice or rice congee. Char Liap Liap in Hokkien or Tau Kok Lup/Chow Lup Lup in Cantonese, the literal translation is Stir-fried Small Pieces. Most likely it is named so because the ingredients are cubed into tiny pieces before stir-frying.

Recipe by Mama Ding

Total Time | 30 mins

Prep Time | 20 mins

Cook Time | 10 mins

Servings : 4 - 6

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Ingredients

• 2 cup long beans or French beans, diced

• 1 cup Chinese pickled radish strips (chai por), cubed and soaked for 1 hr then drained well

• 1 cup dried shrimps, rinsed and drained

• 1 cup groundnuts, rinsed, drained and pre-fried

• 2 pieces firm tofu (taukua), cubed and pre-fried

• 4 - 5 red chillies, deseeded and cubed

• 3 pips garlic, peeled and minced

• 2 tbsp cooking oil

  For the seasoning~

• 1/2 tsp salt or to taste

• 1/2 tsp white pepper powder or to taste

• 1 tbsp sugar or to taste

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce or to taste

Method

01 Deep fry the groundnuts and cubed firm tofu separately. Deep fry groundnuts first, remove and drain well on kitchen towels and set aside.

Then, deep fry the cubed tofu. Remove from oil, drain on kitchen towels and set aside.

02 Heat the cooking oil in a wok/pan. Saute the minced garlic on high heat until fragrant and slightly browned.

Add the dried shrimps and cubed pickled radish. Saute till fragrant, about 2 mins.

03 Add the long beans/French beans and deep fried firm tofu cubes. Stir fry for 1 min.

Add all the seasoning and saute until the beans turn a darker color.

04 Lastly, add the chillies and fried groundnuts. Stir till well-mixed.

Taste and adjust seasoning, if required.

Dish up and serve with hot steamed rice or rice congee.

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Notes

You can also add 1 cup diced pork char siew (Chinese barbeque pork), if desired. Add in the diced char siew after adding the beans and fried firm tofu at step 03.