One ordered by weight, specifying how many grams of bean curd and meat, and the serving would be weighed out and cooked as the diner watched.

His son, Chen Kenichi, made it more popular as it was one of his trademark dishes on the television program Iron Chef.

The feel of the particular dish is often described by cooks using seven specific Chinese adjectives: má 麻 (numbing), là 辣 (spicy hot), tàng 烫 (hot temperature), xiān 鲜 (fresh), nèn 嫩 (tender and soft), xiāng 香 (aromatic), and sū 酥 (flaky).

The authentic form of the dish is increasingly easy to find outside China today, but it is usually adapted for non-Sichuanese tastes.

[5] Supplementary ingredients include water or stock, sugar (depending on the saltiness of the bean paste brand used), and starch (if it is desired to thicken the sauce).

[10] Mapo tofu can also be found in restaurants in other Chinese provinces, as well as in Japan and Korea where the flavor is adapted to local tastes.