Vegetarian Mapo Tofu

In Fuchsia Dunlop’s cookbook Every Grain of Rice, the vegetarian version of the famous Mapo Tofu is called “Pock-Marked Old Woman’s Tofu,” which means the same thing. Len made it last night, and it’s a very exciting dish because it has enough sichuan peppercorns to actually make one’s mouth tingle.

Tofu, rice, salad.

Ingredients

Sichuan Pepperconrs

These peppercorns are berries of a type of prickly ash tree, which belongs to the citrus family. They are not related to the two most common kinds of pepper: black pepper and capsicum pepper. Their flavor is amazing. According to Bon Appétit: “instead of attacking the tongue with spiciness, Sichuan peppercorns induce a tingling sensation similar to drinking a super carbonated seltzer or eating a whole pack of pop rocks.” (source)

Green onions. For a while they were hard to find,
but they now seem widely available.

Tofu

Sichuan Chili Bean Paste: this imported brand is
the one the author recommends.

This tofu recipe appeared in Fuchsia Dunlop’s cooking column in the Guardian in 2012. She wrote: 

“Mapo doufu is one of the best-loved dishes of the Sichuanese capital, Chengdu. It is named after the wife of a Qing dynasty restaurateur who delighted passing labourers with her hearty braised tofu, cooked up at her restaurant by the Bridge of 10,000 Blessings in the north of the city. The dish is thought to date back to the late nineteenth century. Mrs Chen's face was marked with smallpox scars, so she was given the affectionate nickname ma po, "pock-marked old woman". The dish is traditionally made with minced beef, although many cooks now use pork. This vegetarian version is equally sumptuous.” (source)

Blog post and photos © 2023 mae sander