Mapo doufu

Mapo doufu (麻婆豆腐）; pinyin: Mápó dòufu) is a popular Chinese dish from the Szechuan (Sichuan) province. It is a combination of tofu (bean curd) and meat, usually pork, in a slightly spicy (hot) bean-based sauce, sometimes with other ingredients such as water chestnuts, onions, or tree ear mushrooms. The name means "Pockmarked Ma's Tofu", and is said to come from a (possibly fictional) poorly-complected food vendor by the name of Ma, who made and sold the dish. A more common explanation stems from an alternate definition of 麻, meaning "numb": the dish can be spicy enough to bring the lips of the eater to near-numbness.

See also

• Sichuan cuisine