What is Mapo Tofu? Ingredients, Taste & How to Order
Soft tofu in a savory chili-and-bean sauce, usually with minced meat and the tingling sensation of Sichuan pepper.
Mapo tofu · mápó dòufu · 麻婆豆腐
Mapo tofu (mápó dòufu, 麻婆豆腐) brings soft tofu, chili bean paste and Sichuan pepper together in a rich sauce. Minced beef or pork is common; the name does not promise a meat-free dish.
What to expect
The tofu is soft, the sauce savory, and the pepper can leave a tingling sensation. Chili heat and Sichuan pepper's numbing effect are different. Start with rice and ask about a small serving if you are sharing several dishes.
Ask before ordering
If you avoid meat, ask about minced meat, stock and cooking fat. A kitchen may use a sauce prepared earlier, so removing a topping may not change the whole dish. Soy is common; sauces and shared equipment also matter for allergies.
Make it your meal
Use the questions below before the kitchen starts cooking. A request for less chili is a taste preference, not an ingredient or allergy check.
A few words to show or say
Show the Chinese to staff, or use the Pinyin as a pronunciation guide.
Ask before ordering; also confirm the stock, sauce and cooking fat.
可以不放肉末吗？
Can you leave out the minced meat?
Use for chili heat; it does not ask for less Sichuan pepper.
少放辣椒。
Less chili, please.
Sources and scope
Sources support general background, not the recipe used by a particular restaurant.