Mapo Doufu

Undoubtedly the most famous Sichuanese bean curd dish, which reflects the earthy regional sense of humour. Mapo actually means a woman scarred with pock marks on her face. This particular pockmarked woman, a Sichuanese Mrs Chen of the late-19th century, happened to be a superb cook who worked side by side with her husband, a chef of some repute. But it was Mrs Chen’s bean curd dish, with its lingering spicy and slightly numbing effect on the palate, that ha