麻婆豆腐（mápó dòufu) also more commonly known as ‘bean curd’ or ‘tofu’ by foreign expats but this is incorrect (in so far as the Chinese language is concerned) as tofu is the white cheese like appearance of bean curd as sold in the Chinese supermarkets. (See B and C images below):
This tofu as shown in image A above is cooked and usually Chinese sauces are added. It is the more common dish in so far as tofu is concerned. Sometimes there are chilies and sometimes there aren’t but it isn’t hellish spicy like its sister companion which is the real spicy version (explained in the paragraph hereunder).
There is one main difference or slight variation of this and that is what is known as “麻辣豆腐” or “Málà dòufu” (or the simple English definition is “Spicy tofu” or spicy and hot bean curd or direct translation from the Chinese hot and numbing which is exactly what it tastes like) where the tofu that lands on the table is more reddish in colour. (See Image D below to see what the spicy tofu looks like).
And now my mouth and tongue is numb from devouring this dish as I purchased it to show you what it looks like.
Hope you enjoyed reading this little article as I have compiling it. 🙂
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**Update on October 23rd, 2023:**
It has often been said that the devil is in the details and nothing could be more truer. The image below reveals the culprits for being the cause of the numbing effect in this dish. It is commonly known as peppercorns. When chewed, the peppercorns have a numbing effect on your tongue.
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