Mapo doufu is a dish made from tofu and minced meat. Originally it came
from Sichuan as a dish that is hot and spicy and also with “numbing” spiciness (called
“麻辣 / málà”, 麻 / má / numb, 辣 / là / hot and spicy), which is typical for
Sichuan cuisine. The recipe has been varied to many less spicy versions as the
dish became increasingly popular all over China and in other countries.
Tofu is prepared from soy bean milk and, according to a legend, its
invention originated from accidentally adding gypsum or impure seasalt into soy
bean milk, which caused the milk to clot. Tofu is known for more than 2000
years and according to a legend its preparation technique was developed by
prince Liu An (179-122 BC), who had some contact with alchemy that aimed at
developing medicine that makes it possible to live eternally. Other sources
suggest soy milk and bean curd had already been known earlier, before Han
dynasty.
Although tofu doesn’t bring eternal life, it may well have prolonged the
life in times of food shortage, because particularly its richness in protein
can complement nutrition if meat is scarce. The cheap and nutritious tofu was
the daily food of poor labor workers, who according to a story about the origin
of Mapo Doufu ate this dish first in Chengdu prepared by Liu, the wife of Chen Senfu
who owned of a small restaurant in Chengdu in the 19th century (or the
wife of Chen Fuchun according to another story). Because Liu was said to be pock
marked, she was called “pock marked grandma” or 麻子婆婆 / mázi pópo (麻子 / mázi / pock marked, 婆婆 / pópo / grandma, elderly lady). The dish was named after
her, in short: “麻婆豆腐 / mápo dòufǔ”.
Mapo Doufu is prepared from tofu cubes, fried minced beef, broadbean
paste, chili and fermented beans as the typical main ingredients. To thicken
the sauce, starch is added.
Recipe for Mapo Doufu:
http://www.chinasichuanfood.com/mapo-tofu-recipe/
菜 / cài / dish
Sources and further reading/watching:
Discovering
Chinese cuisine part 4 – Tofu (CCTV9)
