Sichuan's silken tofu in fermented black bean and chilli paste, the Sichuan peppercorn numbs the lips while the chilli arrives behind it. Named after a pockmarked old woman.
About Mapo Tofu
Sichuan's most famous dish: silken tofu and minced beef in a sauce of fermented black bean, chilli bean paste, garlic and Sichuan peppercorn; the peppercorn creates a mala (numbing-spicy) buzz on the lips that amplifies the heat; it was invented in the 19th century by a pockmarked (ma) elderly woman (po) in Chengdu.
Sichuan's Most Famous
Mapo tofu sets silken tofu and minced beef in a glossy red sauce of fermented broad-bean chilli paste, fermented black bean, garlic and ground Sichuan peppercorn. The dish is said to have been created in nineteenth-century Chengdu by an elderly woman with a pockmarked face, ma for pockmarked and po for old woman. The tofu must be silken rather than firm.
โMapo tofu sets silken tofu and minced beef in a glossy red sauce of fermented broad-bean chilli paste, fermented black bean, garlic and ground Sichuan peppercorn.โ
The Mala
The signature is mala, the simultaneous numbing and heat of Sichuan peppercorn and chilli. The peppercorn tingles and numbs the lips first, then the chilli rushes in behind it, and the two play off each other through the bowl. Doubanjiang, the fermented chilli-bean paste of Pixian, gives the sauce its depth and colour.
How It Is Made
The minced meat is fried until crisp, the doubanjiang and aromatics bloomed in oil until fragrant, and the silken tofu slid in gently so the cubes stay intact. A little starch thickens the sauce to a sheen that clings to the soft tofu, and ground peppercorn is showered over the top at the end. A scatter of green garlic finishes it.
At the Table
Mapo tofu is built to be eaten with plain steamed rice, which tempers the heat and carries the sauce. It arrives bubbling, the silken cubes trembling as the bowl is set down, savoury and numbing at once. The original Chengdu version is far more aggressive than most versions served abroad.
What to Expect
The mapo tofu arrives in a clay pot, still simmering at the edges. The silken tofu trembles when the pot is set down. The first spoonful is hot, numbing and deeply savoury simultaneously.
Why Try It
Mapo tofu is Sichuan cooking's most internationally replicated dish, and the original in Chengdu is substantially more aggressive than any export version.
Insider Tips
- The tofu must be silken (ๅซฉ่ฑ่ ), firm tofu cannot absorb the sauce correctly.
- Chen Mapo Tofu in Chengdu is the original restaurant.
- The mala heat is cumulative, pace yourself through the bowl.
