Behind its simple name, the process of making a great dish of Sichuan mapo tofu (sauteed tofu in spicy sauce) is very complicated. In addition to top quality soy beans for the tofu, there are a dozen other ingredients, including minced beef, Wenjiang garlic sprout, Pixian bean sauce, green garlic and minced ginger, which create a unique harmony in the spicy flavor commonly seen in Sichuan cuisine.

Claudie, an Italian chef serving as the Ambassador of Sichuan Cuisine, has not only demonstrated Sichuan cuisine to the world at the Milan Expo, but has also gone to Chengdu to learn how to make a perfect dish of mapo tofu.

Video provided by Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism