History of Mapo Tofu and the recipe

Mapo tofu is a world famous Sichuan dish that everyone knows but what is it and why is it called Mapo Tofu?

If you have had Mapo Tofu, you probably wondered why this delicious tofu dish is called Mapo Tofu. In this article, you’ll learn the history and origin of this famous dish from my hometown Chengdu. Mapo translates to “a lady with pockmarks on her face”. Ever since I was little, I assumed that Mapo Tofu is a dish made by an older woman who has pimples and who must be quite ugly. However I couldn’t be sure before doing some more research.  To find out the history of this dish, I asked my grandpa about it and see if he knows more. And it turns out there is a story behind it! 

The story of Mapo Tofu

In 1861 (late Qing dynasty), a man named Chen Chunfu (陈春富）opened a restaurant in the northern part of Chengdu city. It’s a small restaurant and it didn’t even have a sign. His wife also helped in the kitchen, and she had some pockmarks on her face and people called her Mapo (麻婆). Most of the customers in the restaurant were carriers who bring oil from Xinfan (a close-by city）to Chengdu and they would stop at the restaurant to rest during their trip. 

The oil carriers had a lot of oil in their container, so they would scoop out some for the tofu dish at the restaurant. Sometimes they would also bring some beef with them and give the beef and oil to lady Mapo to cook with the tofu. They would watch the lady make the dish in single pots so they get the right amount of food. The Chen Mapo restaurant always treated customers well and cooked delicious food and the word went out! Soon the restaurant and the name of Chen Mapo became famous in the city.

Until the 1920s, the couple has passed away for a long time and their family still kept the reputation of the restaurant and made delicious food. Their tofu is spicy, numbing, hot, fragrant, soft and fresh! Even after 100+ years, people still love the tofu dish named after Chen Mapo!

It isn’t hard to make Mapo Tofu if you do three things right. The number one ingredient I have to stress is Doubanjiang (郫县豆瓣酱). Like twice cooked pork, you have to get the right kind of doubanjiang for this dish otherwise it won’t taste the same. Double check the label to make sure that it is from Sichuan Chengdu! Number two is ground Sichuan peppercorn. If you are like me, you’ll have some ground Sichuan peppercorn in your kitchen. However if you don’t, simply roast some Sichuan peppercorn and grind them into powder. Lastly is using the right amount of starch water. If you’ve had Mapo Tofu before, you must remember the thick golden brown sauce. It is thickened with starch water. If you don’t use enough starch water, the tofu dish would turn out watery. On the other hand, the sauce can turn too thick and hard to eat. 

What does Mapo Tofu taste like?

Mapo Tofu should have a blend of tastes, including numbing, spicy, salty and umami. Although a little sugar is added during cooking, it does not taste sweet. 

Is Mapo Tofu Chinese? 

Yes. Mapo Tofu is originated from Sichuan province in China. It dates back to the late Qing dynasty and is a popular dish in Sichuan. 

Is Mapo Tofu vegetarian? 

Traditionally Mapo Tofu is made with ground beef and is not vegetarian. However, by removing the ground beef, it can be made vegetarian. 

Recipe

Ingredients:

• Ginger 1 piece,

• garlic 2 cloves,

• Corn starch (or Potato starch): 1.5 tbsp

Instructions 

1. Finely chop garlic, ginger and green onion. Cut tofu into 1 inch cubes. 

2. In a frying pan, add in cooking oil. Cook garlic and ginger until fragrant. 

3. Add Sichuan Doubanjiang stir until fragrant. 

4. Add 1 cup of water. Add tofu. Season with soy sauce, salt, ground Sichuan peppercorn and a pinch of sugar.

5. Let everything simmer for 2 minutes. Add in corn starch water 1 spoonful at a time. When the sauce is thick enough, stop adding starch water and turn off the heat. 

6. Serve mapo tofu in a bowl and top with ground Sichuan peppercorn and green onion.  

Watch the video for full instruction:

Ma Po Tofu

The easiest to follow and no fail recipe for the best Ma Po Tofu.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 2

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients

  

• 1 piece Ginger
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 Green onion
• 3 oz Ground beef
• 1 pack tofu
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorn for seasoning
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1.5 tbsp doubanjiang
• 1/2 tsp ground Sichuan peppercron for topping
• 1.5 tbsp corn starch make starch water with 3 tbsp of water

Equipment

• 1 Pan

Method

 

1. Finely chop garlic, ginger and green onion. Cut tofu into 1 inch cubes.
2. In a frying pan, add in cooking oil. Cook garlic and ginger until fragrant.
3. Add Sichuan Doubanjiang stir until fragrant. 
4. Add 1 cup of water. Add tofu. Season with soy sauce, salt, ground Sichuan peppercorn and a pinch of sugar.
5. Let everything simmer for 2 minutes. Add in corn starch water 1 spoonful at a time. When the sauce is thick enough, stop adding starch water and turn off the heat. 
6. Serve ma po tofu in a bowl and top with ground Sichuan peppercorn and green onion.