Mapo tofu () is a popular
Chinese dish from
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...
province.
It consists of
tofu set in a spicy sauce, typically a thin, oily, and bright red suspension, based on
douban (fermented broad bean and chili paste), and
douchi (fermented black beans), along with minced meat, traditionally
beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus'').
In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...
. Variations exist with other ingredients such as
water chestnuts,
onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the on ...
s, other vegetables, or
wood ear fungus. One account indicates that the dish existed as early as 1254, in a suburb of
Chengdu
Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese provin ...
, the capital city of Sichuan province.
Etymology and history
"Ma" stands for ''mázi'', 麻子, which means pockmarks. "Po" is the first syllable of ''pópo'', 婆婆, which means an old woman or grandma. Hence, ''mápó'' is an old woman whose face is pockmarked. It is thus sometimes translated as "pockmarked grandma's beancurd".
According to ''Mrs. Chiang's Szechwan Cookbook'': "
Eugene Wu, the Librarian of the
Harvard Yenching Library, grew up in
Chengdu
Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese provin ...
and claims that as a schoolboy he used to eat Pock-Marked Ma's Bean Curd or ''mapo doufu'', at a restaurant run by the original Pock-Marked Ma herself. One ordered by weight, specifying how many grams of bean curd and meat, and the serving would be weighed out and cooked as the diner watched. It arrived at the table fresh, fragrant, and so spicy hot, or ''la'', that it actually caused sweat to break out."
In Japan, the dish was introduced and popularized by the Chinese-Japanese chef
Chen Kenmin
Chen Kenmin ( zh, s=陈建民, t=陳建民, p=Chén Jiànmín; ja, 陳 建民, ''Chin Kenmin''; June 27, 1912 – May 12, 1990) was a Chinese-born Japanese chef known as the father of Chen Kenichi, the Iron Chef Chinese on the television ...
. His son,
Chen Kenichi
, whose name is often romanized Chin Kenichi in Japanese sources, is a chef best known for his role as the Iron Chef Chinese on the television series ''Iron Chef'' (料理の鉄人). Nicknamed The Szechuan Sage, he wears a yellow outfit and rise ...
, made it more popular as it was one of his trademark dishes on the television program ''
Iron Chef
is a Japanese television cooking show produced by Fuji Television. The series, which premiered on October 10, 1993, was a stylized cook-off featuring guest chefs challenging one of the show's resident "Iron Chefs" in a timed cooking battle bu ...
''.
Characteristics
Authentic mapo tofu is powerfully spicy with both
conventional "heat" spiciness and the characteristic ''
málà'' (numbing spiciness) flavor of Sichuan cuisine. The feel of the particular dish is often described by cooks using seven specific Chinese adjectives: ''má'' 麻 (numbing), ''là'' 辣 (spicy hot), ''tàng'' 烫 (hot temperature), ''xiān'' 鲜 (fresh), ''nèn'' 嫩 (tender and soft), ''xiāng'' 香 (aromatic), and ''sū'' 酥 (flaky). The authentic form of the dish is increasingly easy to find outside China today, but it is usually adapted for non-Sichuanese tastes.
The most important and necessary ingredients in the dish that give it the distinctive flavour are chili
broad bean paste (salty bean paste) from Sichuan's
Pixian
Pidu District formerly known as Pi County or Pixian is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, Southwest China. It was approved from the former Pi County by the State Council on Novemb ...
county (郫县豆瓣酱),
fermented black beans,
chili oil
Chili oil is a condiment made from vegetable oil that has been infused with chili peppers. Different types of oil and hot peppers are used, and other components may also be included. It is commonly used in Chinese cuisine, Southeast Asian cuis ...
, chili flakes of the
heaven-facing pepper (朝天辣椒),
Sichuan peppercorns,
garlic,
ginger,
green onions, and
rice wine. Supplementary ingredients include water or stock, sugar (depending on the saltiness of the bean paste brand used), and starch (if it is desired to thicken the sauce).
Variations
Mapo tofu can also be found in restaurants in other
Chinese provinces, as well as in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
and
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...
where the flavor is adapted to local tastes. In the
West the dish is often greatly changed, with its spiciness toned down in order to widen its appeal. This happens particularly in Chinese restaurants which do not specialize in
Sichuan cuisine. In
American Chinese cuisine, the dish is sometimes made without meat to appeal to vegetarians, using
shiitake, other edible mushrooms, or plant-based meat substitutes.
Gallery
File:HK TST Chungking Mansion Cke 大家樂 Cafe de Carol Restaurant Mapo doufu.JPG, Mapo tofu in Hong Kong
File:Mabodoufu with rice.jpg, Mapo tofu at a restaurant in Kobe, Japan
File:Homemade Mapo doufu.jpg, Homemade mapo tofu
See also
*
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine encompasses the numerous cuisines originating from China, as well as overseas cuisines created by the Chinese diaspora. Because of the Chinese diaspora and historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine has influenced many o ...
*
Kung Pao chicken
Kung Pao chicken (), also transcribed Gong Bao or Kung Po, is a spicy, stir-fried Chinese dish made with cubes of chicken, peanuts, vegetables (traditionally Welsh onion only ), and chili peppers. The classic dish in Sichuan cuisine originat ...
*
List of Chinese dishes
*
List of tofu dishes
*
Szechuan cuisine
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mapo Doufu
Sichuan cuisine
Chinese cuisine
Hong Kong cuisine
Korean cuisine
Japanese cuisine
American Chinese cuisine
Tofu dishes