Hot and heavenly Sichuan cuisine

Mapo is perhaps the most popular spicy Chinese tofu dish in the country. Of Sichuan origin, mapo “in Chinese means pockmarked old lady, and it comes from a famous legend,” said visiting Sichuan chefs Li Yuzhong and Wang Kang Jun.

The tale refers to a Sichuan chef’s wife who was said to have created the dish in 1862 during the Qing Dynasty and made it famous. It’s interesting to note that the same Chinese character is used for both “pockmarked” and “numb.”

“Over time, the dish evolved, but the staple ingredients have always been ground pork or beef, a few ounces of tofu, and an ample amount of ground Sichuan pepper,” add the two chefs.

“Ma Po Dofu is powerfully spicy with both conventional ‘heat’ spiciness and the characteristic mala (numbing spiciness) flavor which is associated with Sichuan cuisine.”

Chinese cuisine is as interesting and diverse as Chinese culture and history. Sichuan is one of the eight great cuisines of China, renowned for dishes that are spicy, numbing and hot. But to label it as just piquant would be unfair.

“Sichuan food is famous for its many flavors, and almost every dish has its own unique taste. It is a combination of hot, sour, sweet and salty,” both cooks point out. This is due to the wealth of ingredients and seasonings that are endemic to the Southwestern China.