Chen Mapo Tofu
×Mapo tofu
Why you must eat itSoft tofu simmered red with broad-bean paste, minced beef and fermented black bean, finished with a heavy dusting of Sichuan pepper. Served piping hot, it numbs the tongue first, then heat and savour rush in — a textbook plate of mala. Spooned over white rice, it doesn't stop. The silky tofu and rich mince are pulled tight by the numbness.
Mapo tofu is said to have been created in the Tongzhi era of the Qing by a Chen woman by Wanfu Bridge in Chengdu; the pockmarks (ma) on her face gave "mapo" its name. Chen Mapo Tofu keeps its founding flagship in Luomashi. Eaten at its source, this globally spread dish surprises with how strong and vivid the pepper's numbness is. More than heat, numbness is the lead.
- Nearest
- Tonghuimen Stn
- Hours
- 11:00-21:00
- Price
- 28–45 CNY a plate