Tofu as an ingredient often takes on the characteristics of whatever sauce or preparation is being used to dress it. In the case of mapo tofu, those soft, placid blocks of tofu guard a scorching ...

Today’s recipe for Mapo Tofu, a traditional spicy Sichuan dish that gives a numbing sensation when you eat it, has a curious legend behind its name, which translates to “pockmarked grandma’s bean curd ...