Which Chinese dish consists of silky tofu in a spicy sauce with minced pork? The answer is mapo tofu.
Mapo tofu is a famous Sichuan dish made with soft tofu in a thin, oily, red sauce. Its classic flavor comes from doubanjiang, a fermented broad-bean and chili paste, along with fermented black beans, chili oil, garlic, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, and green onions. Although pork is common in many versions, beef is also traditional.
The dish is closely associated with Chengdu's Chen Mapo restaurant. Historical accounts place its beginnings in the 1860s or 1870s, when a woman nicknamed Chen Mapo was said to have prepared tofu with chili, pork, and Sichuan pepper. The name literally refers to a “pockmarked old woman” and her bean curd.
Mapo tofu is often confused with generic spicy tofu dishes. Its defining combination is not just tofu and heat, but Sichuan málà: the paired sensations of chili spiciness and the numbing effect of Sichuan peppercorns. Japanese and Western versions are often milder or use different meats.