Mapo Tofu. Many of Ta Wan’s patrons might be familiar with this classic dish from the land of the bamboo curtain. According to Kulineria, Mapo Tofu has been around since 1862 during the Qing Dynasty. At that time, a young man named Chen Chunfu and his wife ran a small restaurant at Wanfu Bridge, located on the northern outskirts of Chengdu in Sichuan Province.

Chen’s wife was an excellent cook known for her spicy stir-fried green beans. Their restaurant was popular among passing merchants. Some of these merchants often requested extra tofu and meat, which led Chen’s wife to experiment with modifying dishes according to her customers’ preferences.

Eventually, Mrs. Chen created the Mapo Tofu recipe by adding beef to her dishes, paying careful attention to cooking temperatures. She cut the tofu into pieces, boiled it for a few minutes until it became tender. The result was a dish with a unique aroma, spicy flavor, hot temperature, freshness, and softness. Merchants passing through the area always set aside money to enjoy Mrs. Chen’s special dish.

The name “Mapo Tofu” is quite unique and comes from Mrs. Chen’s distinctive features. She had pockmarked skin and was elderly, so the name combines ‘ma’ (pockmarked) and ‘po’ (old woman). The philosophy behind this dish is ‘the simpler, the better.’

You don’t have to travel far to enjoy this legendary dish; you can savor Mapo Tofu right here in Indonesia, especially at Ta Wan Restaurant, which serves Mapo Tofu with flavors adjusted to Indonesian tastes while preserving the original essence of the dish, so everyone can enjoy it.