mapo tofu
Spicy Sichuan curd
Mapo tofu is a Sichuan dish of soft tofu cubes in a spicy, oily sauce with fermented bean paste, chili, Sichuan peppercorn, and usually minced pork.
The name means "pockmarked grandmother's tofu," after the woman credited with creating it.
The dish is known for its numbing heat: I ordered the mapo tofu extra spicy.
Chopped pig flesh
- garlicPungent culinary bulb
- gingerPungent culinary rhizome
- scallionsYoung onions with stalks
- Sichuan peppercornNumbing Chinese spice pod
chili oil · soy sauce · cornstarch · sesame oil · chicken stock · sugar · white pepper · bean curd
Sichuan provincial capital
- Sichuan peppercornNumbing Chinese spice pod
- malaPrayer bead necklace
- numbingCausing loss of sensation
- fieryIntensely hot or passionate
chili oil · wok · stir-fry · Chongqing · red oil · Sichuan cuisine · kung pao
Prayer bead necklace
- numbingCausing loss of sensation
- fieryIntensely hot or passionate
- chili oilPepper-steeped fat
- peppercornDried spice berry
heat · pungent · tingling · capsaicin · red oil · hot · burning · piquant
Smooth and lustrous
- softYielding to touch
- bean curdSolidified soy milk
- cubedMultiplied by itself twice
- proteinFolded amino chain
soybean · delicate · wobbling · braised · poached · tender · pillowy · jiggly
Increasing in temperature
- homestyleSimply prepared, like family cooking
- nourishingPromoting health through food
- heartyWarm and substantial
- satisfyingProducing fulfillment or pleasure
soothing · weeknight dinner · one-pot · homemade · nostalgic · filling · steaming · restorative
Appetizing, not sweet
- fermentedTransformed by microbial action
- soy sauceFermented bean condiment
- depthDistance below surface
- richnessState of abundance
complex · mouthwatering · flavorful · aromatic · seasoned · glutamates · salty · funky
Sear, then simmer covered
- stir-fryingRapid high-heat cooking
- velvetingProtein-coating technique for tenderness
- simmeringCooking below boiling point
- wokConcave cooking pan
high heat · cornstarch slurry · blanching · mise en place · ladling · thickening · garnishing · cubing
ground pork
Chopped pig flesh
Sichuan peppercorn · chili oil · soy sauce · cornstarch · sesame oil · chicken stock · sugar · white pepper · bean curd · leafy greens
Chengdu
Sichuan provincial capital
- Sichuan peppercornNumbing Chinese spice pod
- malaPrayer bead necklace
- numbingCausing loss of sensation
fiery · chili oil · wok · stir-fry · Chongqing · red oil · Sichuan cuisine · kung pao
mala
Prayer bead necklace
peppercorn · heat · pungent · tingling · capsaicin · red oil · hot · burning · piquant · spice
silken
Smooth and lustrous
protein · soybean · delicate · wobbling · braised · poached · tender · pillowy · jiggly · absorbent
warming
Increasing in temperature
- homestyleSimply prepared, like family cooking
- nourishingPromoting health through food
- heartyWarm and substantial
satisfying · soothing · weeknight dinner · one-pot · homemade · nostalgic · filling · steaming · restorative · soul food
savory
Appetizing, not sweet
- fermentedTransformed by microbial action
- soy sauceFermented bean condiment
- depthDistance below surface
richness · complex · mouthwatering · flavorful · aromatic · seasoned · glutamates · salty · funky · aged
braising
Sear, then simmer covered
- stir-fryingRapid high-heat cooking
- velvetingProtein-coating technique for tenderness
- simmeringCooking below boiling point
wok · high heat · cornstarch slurry · blanching · mise en place · ladling · thickening · garnishing · cubing
- Chinese foodsoup dumplings, kung pao chicken, chow mein, baozi, orange chicken
- spicy foodscayenne, jalfrezi, chili pepper, chili peppers, habanero
- Asian fusionorange chicken, General Tso's chicken, fried rice, lo mein, chow mein
- Hunan-Sichuankung pao chicken, Sichuan peppercorn, hot pot, twice cooked pork, Chengdu
- SichuanChengdu, giant panda, giant pandas, panda, pandas
- ground meatground beef, ground pork, ground lamb, ground turkey, ground chicken
mapo tofufirm tofu
Compact soybean curd
pressed tofu · dried tofu · fried tofu · tofu skin · frozen tofu