I've had tons of different restaurants' Mapo Tofu dishes growing up, but my favorite is still my mother's. Unlike most restaurants, there is a lot less oil in my mom's homemade dish. Mapo Tofu is traditionally a Sichuan dish which is why most restaurants make it really spicy, bathing the tofu in chili oil. However, my mom uses a lot more onions and less oil, giving the dish a more sweet and savory flavor as it lets the dish focus more on the caramelized onions. This results in a lighter, more fragrant dish compared to the spicy original I can't eat too much of, as I would get a stomach ache.😂
Mapo Tofu originates in Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan. When translated, Mapo actually means "pockmarked old woman" referring to Mrs. Chen, the inventor of Mapo Tofu, who had Smallpox scarred skin. The origin story says that oil porters who would commonly eat at her restaurant requested an affordable dish with meat and tofu using their transported oil. From Mrs. Chen's northern Chengdu restaurant in the 1800s to now, Mapo Tofu has become a staple and symbol of Sichuan cuisine as it demonstrates many Sichuan-style characteristics. Most easily identifiable is the Sichuan peppercorn which produces paraesthesia, a numbing effect on the lips and tongue. It's a very weird experience at first, but you get used to it. As I child, I shied away from Sichuan food because of paraesthesia, but now I love it!
If you're ever in Torrance and want to try some Sichuan food, I greatly recommend Ruijii Sichuan Cuisine! It's one of my brother's favorite Sichuan restaurants and he's a huge fan of the Toothpick Lamb, so make sure to order it. It'll never top my Mom's cooking though! Her Mapo Tofu is always a 100/10 BUSSINS!
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