Mapo tofu is a kind of lunch or dinner food, which can be enjoyed with simple fried vegetables or a series of cold dishes, other main courses and soup, depending on the occasion and guests. In Chengdu, you can rarely walk out of a block from a decent version, where it is provided in an institution covered with gold leaves and crystal chandeliers, or a rusty open-air restaurant operated by a lonely chef with a pot. Mapo tofu is also a very suitable home-cooked dish for families. Zuo Ziying, a Chinese-American born in Chengdu who works as a tour guide in the southwest of Lotus cultural Travel, said that compared with the restaurant version, the home-cooked Mapo tofu is usually less greasy and the ingredients are simpler. Ms. Zuo cooks Mapo tofu at home, only using tofu and some Chili oil, not so much bean paste. And she often uses chopped green onion instead of garlic seedlings.
This dish is also a comfortable food, which is very suitable for preparation at home. Zuo Ziying, a Chinese-American who was born in Chengdu, is a tour guide in the southwest of China. She said that home-cooked or family-style Mapo tofu is usually less oily and easier to cook than restaurant kitchens. When Zuo was cooking at home, she said, I only used tofu blocks and some Chili oil when cooking this dish, not so much bean paste. She often cuts chopped green onion for suan Miao (local leek). Pepper can warm the body and make people sweat, while Chengdu is cold in winter and sultry in summer, so Mapo tofu is very suitable for Chengdu's humid climate all year round.
Pepper can not only warm the body, but also sweat and cool down, so Mapo tofu is a dish tailored for Chengdu's humid climate all the year round, where the winter is biting cold and the summer is sultry.