Hot and sour, vegetarian mapo and in spicy sauce: Fuchsia Dunlop’s tofu recipes

Wobblesome, firm or silken, tofu is a star ingredient in Chinese cooking. These dishes show why In the west, tofu is often viewed as a substitute for meat, which may explain why firmer types that can be cut into chunks and fried or grilled like meat have become so ubiquitous.

In China, however, where tofu has been eaten for at least 1,000 years, it isn’t a substitute for anything; it’s simply a protein-rich ingredient that forms part of most people’s diets, can be cooked with meat and fish, and comes in myriad forms, from the tender, wobbly tofu used to make…