Mapo Tofu

Silky tofu in a fiery, numbing Sichuan sauce with ground pork, Pixian doubanjiang and Sichuan peppercorns.

Mapo tofu is the most famous dish of Sichuan cuisine, named according to legend after a pockmarked (ma) old woman (po) who ran a small restaurant outside Chengdu in the late Qing dynasty. She fed coolies a cheap, nourishing dish of tofu with pork in a fiery sauce. The dish is defined by the numbing-spicy combination known as ma la — the ma (numbing) from Sichuan peppercorn and the la (spicy) from doubanjiang, the fermented broad bean and chilli paste from Pixian county. Pixian doubanjiang is fermented for up to three years and cannot be substituted. It is the soul of Sichuan cooking.

Use Pixian doubanjiang — not generic chilli bean paste. Use silken or soft tofu, not firm. The ground Sichuan peppercorn on top is non-negotiable.