Mapo Tofu
by Sun Yaojie
Favorite
Difficulty
Easy
Time
5m
Serving
2
Chen Mapo Tofu (people are accustomed to call it Mapo Tofu) was founded in the first year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1862). It was founded on the side of Wanfu Bridge outside Chengdu and was originally named "Chen Xingsheng Fanpu". The owner, Chen Chunfu, died early, and the small restaurant was run by the proprietress. The Wanfu Bridge that year was a wooden bridge that was not long but quite wide across the Fu River. On both sides are high railings with fish catching bridge pavilions painted with golden and green paintings. On the bridge, there are often traffickers and pawns, and the coolies under the sedan chair rest on their feet and hit their tips. The main patrons of the restaurant are the oily footmen. These people often buy some tofu and beef, then scoop some vegetable oil from the oil basket and ask the proprietress to process it on their behalf. Over time, Chen has a unique set of cooking skills for cooking tofu. The cooked tofu is delicious in color, fragrance, and extraordinary, and it is loved by people. The roasted tofu she created is called "Chen Mapo Tofu", and her food shop was later named "Chen Mapo Tofu Shop".
