Mapo tofu is one of the most well-known dishes from Sichuan in southwest China, made of tofu, minced pork, and spices. A plate of well-cooked mapo tofu is aromatic, soft, and numbingly spicy.

Mapo tofu conjures up images of combined seasonings or various seasoning pastes. But Inada was inspired by what he read in a book that said the original mapo tofu dish was much simpler than those ...

At the other end of the spectrum, you will find Chen’s, a casual offshoot where the chef’s signature mapo tofu can be had for as low as $12.80 (in comparison, you will have to fork out at ...