Leshan Bobo Ji
乐山钵钵鸡·(lè shān bō bō jī)
Cangying Guanzi: The Weekend Fly Restaurant
If you wander the humid streets of Leshan, you will inevitably stumble upon a working-class "fly restaurant" packed with locals clustered around massive clay pots, cold beers in hand, pulling bamboo skewers dripping with red oil. This is Bobo Ji. Often misunderstood as a hot pot by the uninitiated, this masterpiece is actually a cold-soaked dish where blanched meats and crunchy vegetables are plunged into a rich, sweet-and-spicy chicken broth capped with a heavy slick of chili oil and toasted sesame seeds. It requires no specialized equipment, just an understanding of the physics of a cold emulsion: as you pull the skewer from the broth, the thickened oil clings to the food, coating every bite with a massive hit of numbing Sichuan spice and savory chicken fat. It is the ultimate casual, communal feast, easily recreated on an American weeknight with everyday Asian market staples and a little patience.
Before you start
Soak your bamboo skewers.
Submerge about thirty 6-to-8-inch bamboo skewers in cold water for twenty minutes to prevent splintering while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
Ingredients
- bone-in skin-on chicken thighs1 1/2 lb
- water4 cup
- fresh ginger3 med slices
- scallions2 med
- Shaoxing cooking wine1 tbsp
- broccoli1 small head
- potato1 med
- lotus root1/2 lb
- dried wood ear mushrooms1 cup
- firm tofu6 oz
- neutral cooking oil1/3 cup
- Pixian Doubanjiang2 tbsp
- Korean gochugaru1 1/2 tbsp
- crushed red pepper1 1/2 tbsp
- whole red Sichuan peppercorns1 tbsp
- light soy sauce3 tbsp
- Chinkiang black vinegar1 tbsp
- sugar1 1/2 tbsp
- chicken bouillon powder1 tsp
- toasted white sesame seeds1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Poach the chicken to yield both the meat and the base broth.
In a medium pot, combine the chicken thighs, water, ginger, scallions, and Shaoxing wine. Bring to a boil, skim the foam, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove the chicken to cool, strain the broth into a large serving bowl, and let it cool completely to room temperature.
- 02
Build the fragrant red chili oil.
Heat the neutral oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the minced Doubanjiang, and fry for 2 minutes until the oil turns a rich red. Stir in the Sichuan peppercorns, gochugaru, and crushed red pepper for 30 seconds to toast the spices, then immediately remove from heat.
- 03
Season the cold broth to create the signature flavor profile.
Pour the hot chili oil directly into the cooled chicken broth. Whisk in the soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar, chicken bouillon powder, and toasted sesame seeds, creating an aggressively seasoned, sweet, spicy, and numbing emulsion.
- 04
Blanch the vegetables and shock them cold.
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Separately blanch the wood ear mushrooms (3 minutes), lotus root (2 minutes), broccoli (1 to 2 minutes), and potatoes (1 to 2 minutes), immediately transferring each finished batch to an ice bath to lock in their crisp textures.
- 05
Assemble the skewers.
Remove the bones from the cooled chicken and cut the meat and skin into bite-sized pieces. Thread the chicken, tofu, and blanched vegetables onto bamboo skewers, keeping it to two or three pieces per skewer to mimic the authentic street-food experience.
- 06
Execute the cold soak.
Submerge all the loaded skewers into the room-temperature red oil broth, ensuring they are fully covered. Let them soak for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, allowing the deeply savory liquid to penetrate the ingredients via osmosis before pulling them out to eat.
Notes
Do not rush the cooling of the broth.
Pouring warm broth over the skewers will overcook the carefully blanched vegetables, destroying the snappy texture that defines a proper Bobo Ji.
The sesame seeds are not a garnish.
The massive handful of toasted sesame seeds is critical to the dish's flavor delivery system. As you pull a skewer out, the thickened oil and seeds cling to the food, ensuring every bite is fully coated in the seasoning.
From Cook Sichuan in America.