Ma Po Tofu was first created in the Qing Dynasty during the reign of Emperor Tongzhi, and was originally created by Chen Liu, the founder of the long-established Chinese brand "Chen Ma Po Tofu", who was known as "Ma Po Tofu" because of a few pockmarks on her face. Chen's tofu has a bright red color, crispy beef, spicy, fragrant, crispy, tender, hot, shaped, and rich in Sichuan flavor, and was listed as one of Chengdu's famous foods in the late Qing Dynasty. 1999, Ma Po Tofu became a famous Chinese dish, and was selected as one of Chengdu's "non-heritages" in 2010. In 1999, it became a famous Chinese dish, and in 2010, it was selected as one of Chengdu's "Intangible Cultural Heritage" list. Mapo Tofu was also selected as one of the top ten classic Sichuan dishes by the China Cuisine Association.
In the past, Ma Po Tofu was made with vegetable oil and yellow beef. The cooking method was to fry a large spoonful of vegetable oil in a wok, then put in a large handful of minced chili peppers, then put in the beef and cook it until it was dry and crispy, then put in the edamame beans. Add the tofu, add a little water and a few spatula strokes to blend in, then cover the pan with a lid and reduce the sauce to a simmer, then sprinkle with the ground pepper before serving.
Nowadays, when making Ma Po Tofu, the oil must be peanut oil, and the meat is not limited to cow or pig. After the meat is fried, add bean paste, tempeh, red pepper, soy sauce, salt, sugar, popping incense and then add tofu slices, broth, rolling boil, add green onions, ginger, garlic, thickening with water and thickening with white powder, add pepper powder and sesame oil before starting the pot. Ingredients and procedures have changed somewhat, the taste emphasizes hemp, spicy, hot, salty.