Dave, Often this recipe is made with ground or minced pork. The name Ma Po Dofu means "pockmarked mother's beancurd." The story goes that a woman named Ch'eng who operated a small beancurd stall on a street corner in Chengdu centuries ago created this tasty and inexpensive dish. It is still called after her. Most Chinese recipes/dishes have a story as food is such an important part of the culture. For a variation try adding 1 tsp grated fresh ginger and 1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns (Fagara or Sansho) ground. I really like using the pickled red peppers (2 to 6+) chopped up instead of the dry flakes and 2 tsp. hot bean paste instead of the chile sauce. This is always a safe dish to order when I am in China! I have had some interesting surprises like armadillo, duck tongues, baby birds and I won't even go further. No matter how many chiles you put on pork intestines they just don't make it for breakfast! Mary-Anne